FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirement for independent observers is placed on boats licensed to fish Ascension Island's fisheries to ensure that the Government has accurate information on the species type of both target species and by-catch.

Mark Simmonds: Fisheries management is a devolved issue and as such is the responsibility of the Ascension Island Government. Commercial fishing has been licensed since 2010 on a trial basis and to date there has been no requirement for independent observers to be present on board vessels to record target and non-target catch. The Ascension Island Government is reviewing the future management of its fisheries with a view to introducing new measures including the deployment of observers. All existing licenses expire at the end of 2013 and no new licenses will be issued until a new regime has been put in place.

Middle East

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 593W, on Gaza, how many times (a) he and (b) his officials have called on Israel to open up legal trade for Gaza in each of the last three years; if he will make an assessment of whether the Israeli restrictions are compliant with the human rights conditions in Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. We call on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law and international agreements, ease restrictions on Gaza, and open up legal trade and freedom of movement. Ministers and officials continue to press Israel on this issue. We do not hold records on the number of times this has been raised in the last three years.

Overseas Students: Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on arrangements for overseas students with a valid visa to study in Northern Ireland who enter through the Republic of Ireland.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has regular discussions with his Irish counterpart on a range of issues, but has not had any recent specific discussions concerning arrangements for overseas students with a valid visa to study in Northern Ireland who enter through the Republic of Ireland.
	The Home Office are the lead Department for UK immigration-related issues.

Somalia

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's most recent travel advice was to vessels operating off the coast of Somalia.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel by yacht and leisure craft in the territorial waters of Somalia and on the high seas (more than 12 nautical miles from shore) in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and part of the Indian Ocean bounded by the following latitude and longitude: I5°N in the Red Sea, 23°N in the Arabian Sea, 78°E and 10°S in the Indian Ocean.

Ukraine

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of current political developments in Ukraine.

David Lidington: The Government is monitoring developments in Ukraine closely in light of ongoing demonstrations in response to the Ukrainian Government's decision to delay signature of an EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) made a statement on 11 December which urged calm following reports that riot police confronted protesters in Independence Square. He also reinforced the message that the United Kingdom stands firmly with the Ukrainian people's desire for a future built on closer association with their European partners and respect for democratic values.
	I visited Kyiv on 4-5 December to attend the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), chaired by Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Leonid Kozhara. At the meeting, I underlined our concerns at violence being used against peaceful protestors on 30 November and highlighted in particular the practising journalists who had been injured by law enforcement officers. I welcomed the Ukrainian authorities' commitment to a thorough investigation, and called on them to ensure that the investigation would be rigorous and fair. I urged all parties to avoid escalating the situation. I reinforced this message when I met opposition leaders. I encouraged them to engage seriously with ideas that might defuse the situation and help identify a peaceful way forward. During my time in Kyiv, I also took the opportunity to visit the Maidan, and saw for myself that it was a genuine, peaceful protest.
	We will continue to follow developments in Ukraine closely and to review, with our international partners, our response to developments. We call on Ukraine, particularly as the current holder of the Chairmanship in Office of the OSCE, to fully abide by its international commitments to respect the freedom of expression and assembly.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress she has made on establishing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: Despite the Government holding extensive discussions with a number of stakeholders little progress has been made due to the lack of consensus on this issue. The Government would like to see the issue resolved on the basis of agreement between the parties in Northern Ireland and remains ready to consider implementing any position which has widespread cross-party agreement.

SCOTLAND

Food Banks

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of food bank operators in Scotland.

Alistair Carmichael: The Government is committed to supporting individuals into sustainable employment through DWP's Work Programme and Get Britain Working initiatives. Our priority is to put the country's finances back on a stable footing and to ensure that individuals and families benefit from access to employment that will improve their lives.

Food Banks

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to record the number of people using food banks in Scotland.

Alistair Carmichael: The UK Government's policy is to ensure those who need emergency help are signposted to where they can get it. That includes Jobcentre Plus signposting to local food banks, where appropriate. Any decision to provide goods or services lie with the external organisation and not Jobcentre Plus.

Food Supply

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the implications for Scotland of the study he has commissioned of evidence on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK.

Alistair Carmichael: The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has commissioned research to review publicly available evidence on food aid provision and access in the UK. All Government funded research projects are required to go through the necessary review and quality assurance processes prior to publication. Once this process is complete, the conclusions of this work will be made available on the Government's website.
	My officials are engaged with DEFRA regarding the research and have ensured that Scotland was included in the case study element of the report.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited.

David Mundell: An IT Code of Conduct is in place which provides advice and guidance to staff on safe usage of the system, along with software which blocks user access to websites in specified categories for reasons of appropriateness of content or to protect the integrity of the network. In respect of the latter it conforms to the standards in the HMG Security Policy Framework.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Cold Weather Payments

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the recorded average temperatures at Capel Curig, Gwynedd weather station, used for the calculation of cold weather payments in each week of the last three years.

Steve Webb: We are unable to provide all of the data for the last three years due to disproportional costs. However, following are the recorded average temperature readings for cold weather payment scheme for the year 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 for the weather station at Capel Curig:
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Period Average temperature (degrees) 
			 1 November 2011 to 7 November 2011 8.9 
			 8 November 2011 to 14 November 2011 9,3 
			 15 November 2011 to 21 November 2011 8.3 
			 22 November 2011 to 28 November 2011 8.8 
			 29 November 2011 to 5 December 2011 6.2 
			 6 December 2011 to 12 December 2011 5.7 
			 13 December 2011 to 19 December 2011 3.8 
			 20 December 2011 to 26 December 2011 8.7 
		
	
	
		
			 27 December 2011 to 3 January 2012 7.1 
			 4 January 2012 to 10 January 2012 6.8 
			 11 January 2012 to 17 January 2012 3.2 
			 18 January 2012 to 24 January 2012 7.1 
			 25 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 2.4 
			 1 February 2012 to 7 February 2012 0.5 
			 8 February 2012 to 14 February 2012 2.2 
			 15 February 2012 to 21 February 2012 5.5 
			 22 February 2012 to 28 February 2012 7.9 
			 29 February 2012 to 6 March 2012 5.7 
			 7 March 2012 to 13 March 2012 7.7 
			 14 March 2012 to 20 March 2012 6.6 
			 21 March 2012 to 27 March 2012 9.8 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 
			 Period Average temperature (degrees) 
			 1 November 2012 to 7 November 2012 5.3 
			 8 November 2012 to 14 November 2012 7.9 
			 15 November 2012 to 21 November 2012 7.1 
			 22 November 2012 to 28 November 2012 5.0 
			 29 November 2012 to 5 December 2012 3.2 
			 6 December 2012 to 12 December 2012 2.2 
			 13 December 2012 to 19 December 2012 3.8 
			 20 December 2012 to 26 December 2012 7.0 
			 27 December 2012 to 3 January 2013 7.0 
			 4 January 2013 to 10 January 2013 6.5 
			 11 January 2013 to 17 January 2013 1.0 
			 18 January 2013 to 24 January 2013 -0.9 
			 25 January 2013 to 31 January 2013 5.5 
			 1 February 2013 to 7 February 2013 4.3 
			 8 February 2013 to 14 February 2013 3.3 
			 15 February 2013 to 21 February 2013 2.7 
			 22 February 2013 to 28 February 2013 1.4 
			 1 March 2013 to 7 March 2013 3.2 
			 8 March 2013 to 14 March 2013 2.1 
			 15 March 2013 to 21 March 2013 2.9 
			 22 March 2013 to 28 March 2013 -0.3 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 
			 Period Average temperature (degrees) 
			 1 November 2013 to 7 November 2013 7.1 
			 8 November 2013 to 14 November 2013 7.6 
			 15 November 2013 to 21 November 2013 6.5 
			 22 November 2013 to 28 November 2013 3.9 
			 29 November 2013 to 5 December 2013 7.0

Disclosure of Information

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests have been made to his Department for benefits application forms and related correspondence to be made available in an accessible format in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: We do not have a breakdown of data into specific leaflets and forms. Note that a number of large print items are produced locally and are therefore not recorded in the total, however we are able to provide a figure for those which have been obtained from the print supplier.
	The number of requests made to this Department for benefits application forms and related correspondence to be made available in an accessible format in each of the last three years was:
	
		
			 Service 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 (to end October) 
			 Braille 1210 481 896 223 
			 Audio 191 154 407 119 
			 BSL 2— 7 9 5 
			 Large Print 55,798 30,181 27,968 27,102 
			 1 From July 2010. 2 No data.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus employees work directly with external employers in order to source work for jobseekers.

Esther McVey: There are 1,423.96 full-time equivalent staff, who work directly with external employers across the Jobcentre Plus work services directorate as of the end of October 2013.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus offices contain staff who work directly with external employers in order to source work for jobseekers.

Esther McVey: All Jobcentre Plus offices are involved in employer engagement activity.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department gives to jobcentre staff to ensure jobseeker's allowance claimants are treated equally and fairly when it comes to the application of sanctions.

Esther McVey: There is a range of guidance available to Jobcentre Plus staff, which is used to help make sure claimants are clear about the responsibilities they must fulfil in return for benefit and that those requirements are reasonable and fair, taking into account the individual circumstances of each claimant. This includes guidance to ensure every Jobseeker's Agreement contains personalised information about realistic and achievable job goals, the days and hours of availability for work and those steps that, if taken, will represent all the claimant can be reasonably expected to do to give themselves best prospects of employment. Where it appears the claimant has not fulfilled their responsibilities, Jobcentre Plus staff may be obliged to refer the case to a decision maker for further consider and the possible application of a sanction.
	Guidance to Decision Makers (DM) states that they
	“must make a decision by considering all the evidence and applying the law, including any relevant case law, to the facts of each case. Where the legislation specifies or implies discretion, the DM's judgment must be reasonable and made with unbiased discretion”.
	To ensure that the quality of decisions made is robust, a quality assurance check is carried out on a number of cases. Guidance states that the person carrying out the check should ensure that
	“the DM is neutral and the claimant has been treated fairly and that the DM has started from a neutral point and has not prejudged the case. Issues of doubt have been put to the claimant and no assumptions have been made and that there has been no bias.”
	If a claimant feels they have unfairly incurred a benefit sanction, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed by a different decision maker. If they are still unhappy with that outcome, they can appeal to an independent tribunal.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that profiling of jobseeker's allowance claimants for sanctions does not take place in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency.

Esther McVey: DWP does not profile the referral of jobseeker's allowance claimants for benefit sanctions, either nationally or in the Birmingham, Hall Green constituency. Therefore there are no steps for me to take. All jobseeker's allowance claimants are required to meet conditions of entitlement regulations. Only those claimants who fail to meet these criteria are referred to an independent DWP decision maker to decide on whether a sanction, of jobseeker's allowance payments, is appropriate.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the expected annual revenue that will accrue to the Exchequer in each of the next five years from the proposal set out in his Department's call for evidence on support for mortgage interest, published in December 2011 to apply a charge on the sale of a property to those who have received support for mortgage interest for more than two years.

Steve Webb: This proposition has not been introduced so no savings have been ascribed to it.

Pensions Ombudsman

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Pensions Ombudsman.

Steve Webb: On 27 June 2013 I announced that I was launching a Triennial review of the Pensions Ombudsman. This review has now been completed and the report is in the final stages of clearance. I will inform the House of the outcome as soon as possible and will place a copy of the review in the Libraries of both Houses.

Pensions Ombudsman

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process an application to the Pensions Ombudsman has been in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number (Months) 
			 2008-09 18.5 
			 2009-10 10.9 
			 2010-11 9.8 
			 2011-12 10.5 
			 2012-13 9.6 
		
	
	These closure times relate to cases accepted for formal investigations by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Pensions Ombudsman

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many caseworkers have been employed by the Pensions Ombudsman in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 30 
			 2009-10 31.7 
			 2010-11 30.95 
			 2011-12 31.07 
			 2012-13 28.9 
		
	
	These figures include all staff working on casework in the Ombudsman's office. In addition in 2012-13, 2.7 casework investigators were contracted to undertake casework but were not employees.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of the working age population has a continuous contribution record that would entitle them to (a) contributory jobseeker's allowance and (b) contributory employment and support allowance in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of the working age population has a continuous contribution record that would entitle them to (a) contributory jobseeker's allowance and (b) contributory employment and support allowance for (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) between two and five years, (iv) between five and 10 years, (v) between 10 and 15 years, (vi) between 15 and 20 years, (vii) between 20 and 24 years in total, (viii) between 25 and 29 years in total, (ix) between 30 and 35 years in total and (x) between 36 and 40 years in total.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Services: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the role of social care provision for working age disabled adults.

Michael Penning: Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health meet regularly to discuss numerous issues and continue to do so. In addition DWP and DOH officials have worked and continue to work closely on social care and benefits.

Universal Credit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a single person aged over 25, not paying rent, working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim.

Esther McVey: An individual in this circumstance would not receive any universal credit at 2013-14 benefit rates. This is because they are earning well above their work allowance.

Universal Credit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a couple both aged over 25, not paying rent, with one partner working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim.

Esther McVey: A couple in these circumstances would receive £45 per month at 2013-14 benefit rates.

Universal Credit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much a couple aged over 25, not paying rent, with two children and with both parents working for 30 hours a week for the minimum wage would receive in universal credit if they were making a new claim.

Esther McVey: A couple in these circumstances would receive is £304 per month at 2013-14 benefit rates.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 5 December 2013, on universal credit, for how long he envisages developing two separate universal credit IT systems; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Government has announced its plans for the next stage of universal credit implementation. The live service will expand in scope and scale during 2014, supported by the existing IT systems; at the same time we will continue to work to develop and test an enhanced system. We will make decisions on later stages of implementation informed by the development of this enhanced system.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 December 2013 on universal credit, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of implementing each of the two separate IT systems currently being developed for universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The most recent estimate of the cost of the ICT system is set out in the NAO report Universal Credit: Early progress, HC 621, published on 5 September 2013. Costs for any future development remain subject to on-going commercials discussions.

Universal Credit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the universal credit caseload and (b) the year-on-year increase in that caseload in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16, (iii) 2016-17, (iv) 2017-18 and (v) 2018-19.

Esther McVey: Universal credit is now operating in seven areas and we remain on track to roll out in Bath, Harrogate and Shotton by next spring. We announced our plans for the next stage of implementation on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement. The WMS can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-progress
	Official statistics on universal credit were published on 3 December and can be found at:
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/UC/Universal_Credit.html

Work Capability Assessment

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department is providing to deaf or hard of hearing people who wish to have their work capability assessment videoed.

Michael Penning: The Department does not permit the video recording of face-to-face assessments in order to ensure the safety and privacy of staff conducting the assessments and other customers.
	Atos Healthcare will make arrangements for a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter to attend an assessment when required.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum applicants have successfully asserted Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights as mitigation in asylum appeals in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has given to companies managing contracts for the dispersal of asylum seekers as to the minimum notice period which should be provided to local authorities before significant numbers of asylum seekers are placed in their local authority area.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 December 2013
	There is no minimum notice period to be served prior to asylum seekers being placed in a local authority area. However under the COMPASS contract, providers are required to consult with local authorities to minimise the impacts of the dispersal of asylum seekers on local services and ensure planning is not adversely affected.

Asylum

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to allow British citizens to be permitted to work while checks are being undertaken under the Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 December 2013
	British citizens can evidence their right to work to an employer under the checks to prevent illegal working in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 by simply producing their UK passport, or their National Insurance number in combination with their full birth or adoption certificate or certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British citizen. Employers should conduct this straightforward document check before the person's employment commences. An employer is not required to contact the Home Office to seek confirmation of someone's right to work, except in specified circumstances involving non-EEA nationals with a time-limited status in the UK.

Asylum

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2013, Official Report, column 906W, on asylum, what steps she is taking to ensure that all failed asylum applicants are recorded whether they leave the UK voluntarily or otherwise.

Mark Harper: Any removal of a failed asylum seeker organised by the Home Office, whether enforced or voluntary, is recorded on our Case Information Database (CID). There are, however, instances where applicants leave the United Kingdom voluntarily without informing the Home Office. In such cases, we are able to retrospectively record the departure on CID after conducting 'post departure checks'. However, these checks do not cover all possible departure routes, or eventualities—such as when an individual leaves on false document. As a result, we are unable to ensure 100% of departures are recorded.

Asylum: Appeals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many asylum cases where the applicant has appealed to HM Courts and Tribunal Service has the Secretary of State's decision been withdrawn prior to the scheduled hearing date in the last 12 months; and how many of the cases where decisions have been withdrawn by the Secretary of State have subsequently had no further decision issued.

Mark Harper: In the last 12 months the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) has withdrawn the appeal prior to the hearing date in 20 cases. In all 20 cases, the Home Office has made a further decision.
	The data on which our response is based are management information which have been subject to internal quality checks. The information has been provided by and assured by the Home Office Performance Unit but has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation or audit his Department has conducted of local authorities' spending under the Prevent agenda.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 9 December 2013
	The Home Office has established a monitoring framework to evaluate the local delivery of Prevent project funding to local authorities. The process for allocating funds requires bids to be evidence-based and well-designed, with clear steps to evaluate the project. The Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) collates the evidence from projects it funds in order to evaluate consistently across similar projects.

Crime: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests, (b) deportations and (c) investigations have been made as a result of the allegations made to the Allegations Management System since 1 June 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 28 November 2013
	Between 1 June 2013 and 31 October 2013, information received in the Intelligence Management System led to 2,996 investigations resulting in enforcement visits and 2,495 arrests.
	This is an incomplete picture of activity, as it can take four to five weeks for information received to be researched and for enforcement activity to be undertaken. Results from information received in the latter part of the period will not yet be available.
	In many cases, information will be investigated through research and may result in non-enforcement outcomes. This activity is not reflected in these figures.
	Full data on the number of deportations are not yet available. As it can take up to six months for a piece of information to result in a deportation or an administrative removal, providing this data now would provide an incomplete and misleading picture of activity.
	The figures provided have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics Protocols.

Crime: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations the Allegations Management System has received since 1 June 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 28 November 2013
	The Intelligence Management System (IMS) intake statistics from June to October 2013 are set out in the following table. It should be noted that intake covers all types of incoming information and not solely allegations made by the public.
	
		
			  Number 
			 June 6,316 
			 July 6,822 
			 August 6,494 
			 September 6,036 
			 October 6,532 
			 Total 32,200

Entry Clearances

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who had previously received clearance to enter the UK through a (a) student visa, (b) tourist visa, (c) working visa and (d) family visa have been arrested as an overstayer in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: Details of the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of wage earners who fall below the £18,600 threshold for spousal visas in (a) the UK and (b) Wales.

Mark Harper: The income threshold was set after considering advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on what the threshold should be to ensure that the sponsor could support their spouse or partner and any dependants independently without them becoming a burden on the taxpayer. The MAC's report was published in November 2011 and is available at the following link.
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/family-migration-route/family-migration-route.pdf?view=Binary
	The MAC estimated that an income threshold of £18,600 to sponsor a spouse or partner would not be met by around 45 % of applicants. This was based on the sponsor's earnings in the UK in a sample of applicants of high-volume nationalities.
	In addition, the impact assessment of the new family immigration rules noted at page 19 that the Annual Survey for Hourly Earnings suggested that around 40% to 45% of UK residents earned less than £18,600 a year. The impact assessment was published on 13 June 2012 and is available at the following link. It did not discuss earnings in Wales or any other part of the UK.
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/june/13-family-migration

Entry Clearances: Married People

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will give consideration to amending the spousal visa applicaiton system to take into account potential job offers of the migrant spouse towards the minimum income threshold.

Mark Harper: We have no current plans to take into account potential job offers of a migrant spouse or partner when they apply for entry clearance to come to the UK. This is subject to the outcome of the Secretary of State's appeal in MM and Others, in which this and other detailed aspects of the Immigration Rules for the minimum income threshold are being considered.
	A migrant spouse or partner with an appropriate job offer here can apply under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor or by their joint savings or other income. Where, or once, the migrant spouse or partner is in the UK with permission to work, we will take their earnings from employment here into account.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will give consideration to introducing a regionalised minimum income level for spousal visa applications.

Mark Harper: We have no current plans to introduce a regionalised minimum income threshold for spouse or partner visa applications. The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) considered this issue in its November 2011 report on the income threshold, which is available at the following link:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/family-migration-route/family-migration-route.pdf?view=Binary
	The MAC noted a number of arguments against setting a different income threshold by region and concluded that there was no clear case for doing so.
	For example, it would mean that a better-off sponsor in a relatively less well-off region would have to meet a lower income threshold than a poorer sponsor in a higher income region, and a requirement that varied by region could lead to sponsors moving to a lower threshold area in order to meet the requirement before returning once a visa was granted. The Government agreed with this assessment. Having a single, national income threshold also provides clarity and simplicity for applicants and caseworkers. The lawfulness of this approach was endorsed by the High Court in MM and Others.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many calls have been made to the confidential UK Border Agency hotline for airlines to report human trafficking concerns before an aeroplane lands since it was launched in October 2011.

Mark Harper: The hotline to report human trafficking concerns, managed by Border Force, has received three calls from airlines since its launch in October 2011. All three calls related to trafficking concerns identified by airline staff on board flights bound for the UK.

Illegal Immigrants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 9 December 2013
	Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK are not available. Given the clandestine nature of illegal migrants, any estimation is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around any estimates.

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people currently held in a prison solely on immigration grounds have never been found guilty of a criminal offence in the UK.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 December 2013
	For the week commencing 2 December 2013, there were 957 immigration detainees held in prisons.
	This includes a small number of individuals who have never served a custodial sentence. These individuals present specific risk factors that indicate they pose a serious risk of harm to the public or to the good order of an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), including the safety of staff and other detainees, which cannot be managed within the regime applied in IRCs.
	In order to extract the small number of cases who have not served a custodial sentence would incur a disproportionate cost as this would involve looking at individual records.

Immigration

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants who will come to the UK after accession; and what estimate she has made of the number of those migrants who will claim welfare benefits.

Mark Harper: The Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions. However, we have not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. The Government accept the view of the independent Migration Advisory Committee that to produce such estimates would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers.
	Rather than produce speculative forecasts, we are focusing on cutting out the abuse of free movement between EU member states and addressing the factors that drive European immigration to Britain. Across Government, we are working to ensure that our controls on accessing benefits and services, including the NHS and social housing are among the tightest in Europe. On 27 November 2013 the Prime Minister announced a number of measures to put this principle into effect.

Immigration Controls

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had at the EU on delaying the relaxation of the UK's border restrictions due to take place on 1 January 2014.

Mark Harper: In June 2005, the previous Government signed the accession treaty with Romania and Bulgaria. In doing so, they granted all Romanians and Bulgarians the right to come to Britain for an initial period of three months, and then longer if they are exercising treaty rights to work or study; or are otherwise self sufficient. The treaty came into effect in 2007, and as a result the seven-year transitional controls relating to unrestricted working will end this year.
	From 1 January 2014, Romanians and Bulgarians will have the right to free movement across Europe on the same terms as other EU nationals.
	The Government is clear that EU citizens who benefit from the right to free movement must adhere to the responsibilities this brings with it. The Government does not tolerate the abuse of free movement rights and is working at a domestic level and with other member states to tackle such abuse. The Government has consistently raised the problem of the abuse of free movement at meetings of the Council of Ministers.

Immigration Controls: Heathrow Airport

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average clearance time is for passport control at Heathrow for (a) non-European passport holders, (b) EU passport holders, (c) UK passport holders and (d) VIP visitors.

Mark Harper: The average queuing time for Non European Economic Area (EEA) passengers is seven minutes and for EEA passengers it is five minutes (October 2013). UK passports holders would fall into the EEA category. VIPs would either clear through fast track or Medical Desks, but queuing times are not recorded separately for these passengers.

Immigration: Disclosure of Information

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 32W, on immigration, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether or not there is a genuine and legitimate public interest sufficient to authorise the disclosure of third party personal information about another person's immigration status.

Mark Harper: It is the presumption that the Home Department will not normally disclose information about immigration or nationality cases to third parties. However, there are occasions where it is right to do so, but when doing so the individual circumstances of the case will be considered including any risk to the person concerned, whether they have put their case in the public domain and whether there is justification for doing so in pursuit of a legitimate objective.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding she intends to transfer from Cleveland Police Force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 476W.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 14 October 2013 to the Minister of State for Immigration, ref M13411/13.

Mark Harper: holding answer 25 November 2013
	UK Visas and Immigration wrote to the hon. Member on 21 November 2013.

Passports: Lost Property

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many documents presumed missing by the (a) UK Border Agency and (b) the Identity and Passport Service were later found in each year since 2007.

Mark Harper: holding answer 28 November 2013
	The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Smuggling

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, An Inspection of Border Force Freight Operations, published in November 2013, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the lines of communication between her Department and HM Revenue and Customs are strengthened in order to prevent those smuggling goods into the UK from avoiding prosecution.

Mark Harper: holding answer 2 December 2013
	The Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's freight operations report highlighted that there are areas that Border Force needs to work on with regards to lines of communications. The Border Force relationship with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), while good at senior level, needs to improve at the front line. Border Force is taking steps to address this. For example, senior HMRC managers have visited Border Force front-line locations (e.g. Dover, Felixstowe) to listen to feedback on practical border enforcement issues. This dialogue is informing customs freight policy development and other work being done to improve customs operational guidance.
	Recognising the good relationships at the strategic level, effort is already focused on improving these at the operational level. There are a series of operating protocols that govern the working relationship between Border Force and HMRC and these have all been updated to clearly articulate referral and information exchange processes for front-line officers relating to intelligence sharing, criminal investigations and international trade. With respect to prosecutions, this also includes a commitment to increase the number of HMRC-led investigations following referral from the Border Force front line.
	Compliance with these protocols is now actively managed by operational managers at a local level, with an escalation route through to senior managers in both organisations. The protocols have been sent to every Border Force Regional Director and issued to all staff. Copies of the protocols are available to Border Force staff via the Home Office Intranet.

UK Border Agency

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of the UK Border Agency in responding to tribunal decisions in a timely fashion; and what steps she intends to take to improve the Agency's performance in this area.

Mark Harper: holding answer 2 December 2013
	An initial assessment of the implementation of tribunal decisions has been made and further work is under way to improve UK Visas and Immigration's processes for handling such cases. This will include digitising appeal determinations in order to speed up the process of notifying caseworking areas of tribunal decisions, and establishing a clear service standard for the implementation of those decisions by April 2014.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 373W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether trials have been undertaken of unmanned aerial vehicles for use by or on behalf of the Immigration Enforcement or the Border Force. [R]

Mark Harper: Immigration Enforcement and UK Border Force have not trialled unmanned aerial vehicles.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether witnesses to the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of detainees at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre have been deported; and whether such witnesses were interviewed before any deportation took place.

Mark Harper: No individuals identified to date as witnesses have been removed since the allegations were made.
	Bedfordshire police are investigating the allegations and the Home Office is offering full assistance to that investigation.

TRANSPORT

A14

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what (a) meetings and (b) submissions his Department have had on the A14 bypass in the last six months;
	(2)  what his policy is on toll roads; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport together with the Highways Agency, has met with, and received submissions from the general public, local MPs and representative organisations regarding the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement scheme during the last six months.
	There has been no change of Government policy on tolling. The Government has always said it will consider tolling as a means of funding new road capacity on the strategic road network. New road capacity would include entirely new roads and existing roads where they are transformed beyond all recognition by an improvement scheme.

Air Traffic Control

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions he plans to have with the aviation industry on the resilience of existing contingency requirements at NATS Swanwick following the technical problems experienced there on 7 December 2013;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for inspection and oversight of IT Systems at NATS Swanwick.

Robert Goodwill: The technical problems at Swanwick on 7 December 2013 have been rectified and are being investigated as a matter of high priority by NATS. There was no reduction in safety resulting from the systems failure.
	The findings of the NATS investigation will be discussed with the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which, under the existing legislative and regulatory framework, monitors and regulates UK aviation safety. I am not planning therefore to meet NATS to discuss its detailed contingency arrangements, although I am due to visit Swanwick in January where I expect NATS to brief me on its contingency arrangements.
	I have made no recent assessment of the adequacy of the existing IT arrangements at Swanwick. I am aware that the safety and efficiency of those systems are constantly monitored by both NATS and the CAA and I am confident that any serious problem would be brought to my attention.

Biofuels

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with its EU counterparts on support for a five per cent cap on biofuels.

Robert Goodwill: The UK Government has actively engaged with EU representatives from all member states, and made the case for a 5% cap.

Helicopters: Vehicle Data Recording Devices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many and what proportion of helicopter crashes in the UK in the last 10 years no flight data recorder was fitted in the helicopter.

Robert Goodwill: In the past 10 years there have been 180 accidents involving helicopters. In 169 of these accidents no flight data recorder was fitted or required to be fitted to the aircraft.

Helicopters: Vehicle Data Recording Devices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to discuss with the Civil Aviation Authority the adequacy of current requirements to have flight data recorder equipment fitted in helicopters according to their weight.

Robert Goodwill: There are currently no plans to discuss with the Civil Aviation Authority the adequacy of current requirements to have flight data equipment fitted to helicopters according to their weight.
	Current flight data recorder (FDR) requirements are set under Section K of Joint Aviation Requirements for Public Transport Operations (Helicopters) Part 3 (JAR-OPS 3) for commercial helicopter operations, which will be superseded by European law through the European Aviation Safety Agency in October 2014.
	Privately operated helicopters are not required to have flight recorders in the UK, but complex helicopters will have to align with new European regulations in the future.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does block access to certain websites. The Department's IT systems do this by blocking common categories using information held by firewall/web filter companies, rather than by blocking specific websites.
	The categories of websites that are blocked are set out as follows.
	Please note some areas of the department permit the use of social media websites for business reasons and public engagement (and in these cases those sites would not be blocked).
	Categories of websites blocked by DFT IT systems
	Adult/Porn/Mature Content
	Adverts and pop-ups
	Alcohol
	Alternative Journals
	Anonymizers
	Astrology
	Auctions/Classifieds
	BBC Streaming media
	Blogs
	Browser Exploits
	Chat and Instant messaging
	Cheating and Plagiarism
	Consumer Protection
	Criminal activity
	Cult/Occult
	Dating/Personals
	Digital Postcards
	Discrimination
	Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco
	Dubious
	Entertainment
	Extreme
	Facebook
	Filter Avoidance
	Freeware and Software Download
	Gambling Related
	Game/Cartoon Violence
	Games
	Glamour and Intimate Apparel
	Google Translate
	Gruesome Content
	Hacking/Proxy Avoidance Systems
	Harmful and stealth
	Hate/discrimination
	Historical Revisionism
	Hosting sites
	Humour (Time restricted)
	Illegal activities
	Illegal downloads
	Illegal Skills/Questionable Skills
	Instant Messaging
	Interactive Web Applications
	Internet Radio and TV
	Internet Telephony
	Legal Risk Sites
	Lingerie and swimsuits
	Lotteries
	Malicious Sites
	Malware
	Marijuana
	Media Downloads
	Media Sharing
	Messaging
	Militancy, Extremist
	Mobile Phone
	MP3 and Audio Download Services
	Nudity
	Obscene/Tasteless
	Online Brokerage and Trading
	Online Communities
	Online trading (Time restricted)
	Organisational e-mail (Time restricted)
	P2P File Sharing
	Parked Domain
	Pay to Surf
	Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
	Personal Network Storage and Backup
	Personals and Dating
	Phishing and fraud
	Potential Illegal Software
	Profanity
	Proxy Avoidance
	Potentially Unwanted Programs
	Racism, Hate
	Religion (Time restricted)
	Remote Proxies
	School Cheating Information
	Sex Education
	Shopping (Time restricted)
	Social Networking and Personal Sites
	Society and Lifestyles
	Spam URLs
	Spyware/Adware/Key loggers
	Streaming Media
	Tasteless and offensive
	Text/Spoken Only
	Translation proxy sites
	Violence/Hate/Racism
	Weapons
	Web Ads
	Web based e-mail (Time restricted)
	Web Chat
	Web Meetings
	Web Phone
	Web-based e-mail
	YouTube

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the word ‘poverty' has been mentioned in his Department's parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Stephen Hammond: The contents of the Official Report is a matter of public record and is readily accessible to the hon. Member online and in hard copy.

Railways: Disability

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with representatives of disability organisations on the inclusion of specific provision for disabled people in future rail franchise agreements.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is in regular contact with disability organisations on many areas of transport policy and in the creation of guidance. The recent invitations to tender for the Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Essex Thameside franchises both contained provisions for disabled people; to ensure all rolling stock is accessible by 2020; and for access at stations. We expect to include similar provisions in future franchise competitions. Operators are required, as a license condition, to produce a Disabled People's Protection Policy (DPPP) in consultation with the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) as part of mobilising the franchise.

Rolling Stock

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of introducing double decker trains on (a) heavily-used parts of the railway network in the UK and (b) the line between Brighton and London; and what the effect of this would be on (i) capacity on existing routes, (ii) overcrowding, (iii) number of bike spaces and (iv) affordability of fares; what consideration he has given to the introduction of double decker trains as an alternative to High Speed 2; what comparative assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of such a policy and High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: In 2007, Network Rail undertook an assessment of the feasibility of operating double deck trains on the conventional UK rail network—including the line between Brighton and London. The study found that the scope for extra seating in such trains would be limited by the significant amount of space which would be taken up by staircases and vestibules inside the carriages. In addition, extra time would be needed for passengers to board and alight from such trains at stations. Furthermore, to accommodate the much larger carriages, extremely costly and disruptive rebuilding of tunnels, bridges and other railway infrastructure would be required. For these reasons, the study concluded that the operation of longer conventional trains represented a more efficient way of providing additional capacity for passengers. The introduction of double deck trains on the West Coast main line as an alternative to High Speed 2 was considered by the Department for Transport in 2010. The option suffered from the drawbacks set out in Network Rail's study and was therefore not taken forward.

Rolling Stock

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any imports of float glass used in the construction of trains in the UK will be subject to independent testing in the UK.

Stephen Hammond: Float glass specifically is not used on any European trains. All glass used on trains must be either toughened or laminated before use. This is a requirement of the relevant TSI (Technical Specification for Interoperability).

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2013, Official Report, columns 922-23W, on homelessness, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the (a) 25% increase in homelessness since 2010 and (b) 68% drop in homelessness between 2003 and 2010.

Kris Hopkins: I have assessed that homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the last Labour Government.
	The pressures on homelessness were caused by the recession and housing crash that occurred under the last Labour Government. As outlined by the Chancellor in his autumn statement, the coalition Government has taken decisive action to pay off the unsustainable budget deficit, to keep interest rates down, to build more homes, to reform welfare to make work pay and to deliver long-term economic growth.

Housing: Construction

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have identified a five-year supply of land for development. [R]

Nicholas Boles: This information is not collected centrally.
	Notwithstanding, I would note that three quarters of local authorities now have a published local plan.

Planning Inspectorate

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning inspectors there were in the Planning Inspectorate in each year since 2008.

Nicholas Boles: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent Headcount  
			 Fiscal year 1April 31 March Average 1 April 31 March Average Percentage of inspectors working on planning casework 
			 2008-09 277.4 264.7 271.1 337 334 336 65 
			 2009-10 263.7 249.4 256.6 333 312 323 53 
			 2010-11 241.1 195.3 218.2 302 234 268 54 
			 2011-12 191.8 184.7 188.3 231 222 227 53 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 183.1 193.7 188.4 221 234 228 51 
		
	
	The reduction over the period mirrors the fall in the volume of casework. The Planning Inspectorate's workload is demand-led. The Planning Inspectorate retains significant numbers of staff and inspectors on a flexible basis, for example, by using short-term contracts and non-salaried inspectors. This allows the Inspectorate to respond quickly to workload demands at minimum cost and disruption.
	Moving forward, we expect inspector numbers to increase, as the result of national infrastructure projects (now considered by the Planning Inspectorate, following the abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission), additional support we are giving to help councils with the production of Local Plans and following the commencement of measures in the Growth and Infrastructure Act.

Right to Buy Scheme

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to discharge their legal obligations to promote Right to Buy; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 10 December 2013
	Social housing landlords have a statutory duty to process right to buy applications within set timescales. Where landlords are failing in this duty, I would encourage tenants to make use of the delay response mechanisms available, including serving landlords with statutory notices of delay where appropriate.
	Continual delays can result in a reduction in the purchase price (rent paid during the delayed period is treated as an advance payment towards the purchase price of the property under the right to buy). Statutory notice of delay forms and guidance can be found here:
	www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/delays
	My hon. Friend rightly identifies the need for tenants to have further support and information on the right to buy. The autumn statement outlines a series of steps, including new right to buy agents, and I am currently considering how best to engage with local authorities to raise the conversion rate from applications to sales.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons he decided to issue extended licences for badger culling before completion of the evaluation by the Independent Expert Panel of the evidence provided by the pilot culls.

George Eustice: DEFRA's chief veterinary officer advised that the period of culling this year should be extended to achieve the earliest and greatest possible impact on bovine TB in the cull areas. The extension of the pilot culls did not affect the panel's ability to determine the safety, humaneness and effectiveness of the pilot culls. The panel was consulted on matters within its remit, which is to oversee the design and analysis of the data collection on the humaneness, effectiveness and safety of the pilot culls.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of the Government-approved training programme for marksmen licensed to conduct controlled shooting activities in the badger cull pilot zones; and how many marksmen received such training and were subsequently licensed.

George Eustice: The minimum course requirements for establishing and running a badger culling training course and assessing competence are published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69585/pb13714-badger-culling-training.pdf
	98 persons in West Somerset and 111 persons in West Gloucester were licensed by Natural England to carry out culling operations under the pilot licenses. Full delegate lists of those who attended the training course are not known by Natural England.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether Natural England has taken enforcement action against any marksmen who have breached their licence to shoot badgers in the pilot cull areas;
	(2)  whether there has been a rise in reports of illegal killing of badgers in pilot cull zones in the last 12 months.

George Eustice: Natural England reported that during the pilot cull monitoring visits, marksmen displayed a professional attitude, in terms of safety and operations and that no major breaches of licence conditions or the Best Practice Guidance were detected. Some minor breaches were resolved through on-site advice to Contractors, warning letters resulting in satisfactory compliance or guidance notes to the Companies.
	I would also like to refer the hon. Member to my answer on 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 473W.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether badger populations in areas outside the pilot badger cull zones have been accurately measured; and whether these populations have declined in numbers similar to those reported in the pilot cull zones.

George Eustice: I would like to refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given in the House of Lords on 22 October 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA148.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the most recent estimates for badger numbers in the pilot cull zones were supplied to Natural England.

George Eustice: The advice from DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser to the Secretary of State on the estimated population of badgers within the pilot cull areas was placed in the Library of the House on 3 October. It was provided to Natural England on this date.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether the methods used to calculate the most recent estimates of badger populations in the pilot cull zones allow direct comparison to the estimates published in February 2013;
	(2)  what methodology was used to calculate the most recent estimates of badger populations in the pilot cull zones; and what steps were taken to ensure that these estimates were reliable and robust.

George Eustice: I would like to refer the hon. Member to the answer tabled on 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 50W.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what monitoring of the process of cage trapping to ensure compliance with licence requirements and published guidance was carried out by observers from Natural England and other agencies during the extended period of pilot badger culls;
	(2)  what assessment was made of the competence of contractors carrying out the cage trapping of badgers.

George Eustice: Contractors completed and passed a DEFRA approved training course. Natural England carried out monitoring of cage trapping throughout the entire culling period to ensure the licence conditions and Best Practice Guidance were complied with.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the badgers culled and tested during the pilot cull programme were found to have been (a) carrying and (b) suffering from bovine tuberculosis.

George Eustice: I would like to refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 25 October 2013, Official Report, column 277W.

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women.
	(2)  how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.

Dan Rogerson: Of the six executive members of DEFRA's departmental board, one is a woman and five are men. Of the four non-executive board members, one is a woman and three are men.
	Given the small numbers involved we do not disclose the results of ethnicity monitoring.

JUSTICE

Asylum: Legal Aid Scheme

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what impact assessment his Department has carried out to determine the effect of changes to legal aid on people in the process of (a) applying for asylum, (b) reapplying for asylum and (c) applying for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Shailesh Vara: As part of our consultation “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” we have published an impact assessment which is available at:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid-next-steps/consult_view
	Impact assessments produced at the time of royal assent to LASPO can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/legislation/bills-and-acts/acts/legal-aid-and-sentencing-act/laspo-background-information
	The Government will be undertaking a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within LASPO in three to five years’ time, which will also include a review of the civil legal aid proposals that are taken forward as part of Transforming Legal Aid.

Community Orders

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the national completion rates for each of the community sentence requirements were in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average length of time was between the requirements of a community sentence being set and those requirements commencing in each probation trust in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Completion rates for Drug Rehabilitation Requirements, Alcohol Treatment Requirements and Unpaid Work Requirements in England and Wales are published annually by Department in the NOMS Annual Report: Management Information Addendum. Figures for 2012-13 were published on 25 July 2013 at the following location.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf
	Completion rates for other requirements are not reported separately.
	Information on the average length of time between the requirements of a community sentence being set and those requirements commencing is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Custodial Treatment

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders who breached their Community Order received a custodial sentence in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: When an offender breaches a community order the court must choose between making the order more onerous; imposing a fine or revoking the order and resentencing for the original offence, which can involve a custodial sentence.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but not all the specific circumstances of each case. Statistics are not collated centrally on sentencing outcomes for breaches of community orders.

Custodial Treatment

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders who breached their Suspended Sentence Order received a custodial sentence in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Where an offender breaches a suspended sentence order, either by failing to comply with any community requirement or by committing a further offence during the period for which the sentence is suspended, there is a presumption that the court will give effect to the custodial sentence unless it considers that it would be unjust to do so in view of all the circumstances. If the court does not give effect to custodial sentence, it must impose more onerous community requirements, or extend the supervision or operational period of the order, or impose a fine (not exceeding £2,500), as appropriate.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. Statistics are not collated centrally on sentencing outcomes for breaches of community and suspended sentence orders.

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women.

Shailesh Vara: Information on the gender of the Department’s (a) executive and (b) non executive board members is set out in the following tables:
	MOJ overall
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 22 9 
			 Non-executive 11 6 
		
	
	Granularities
	MOJ HQ
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 3 4 
			 Non-executive 2 2 
		
	
	HMCTS
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 4 0 
			 Non-executive 2 1 
		
	
	NOMS
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 6 1 
			 Non-executive 3 1 
		
	
	LAA
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 4 2 
			 Non-executive 3 0 
		
	
	OPG
	
		
			 Board members as at December 2013 
			  Male Female 
			 Executive 5 2 
			 Non-executive 1 2 
		
	
	The Government’s Equality Strategy sets out the Government's vision for a strong, modern and fair Britain:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-strategy
	GEO leads for the Government on equality policy.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited.

Shailesh Vara: Ministry of Justice staff are expected to comply with rules regulating the use of departmental computers, including internet use.
	The IT system uses specialist blocking software to prevent users gaining access to inappropriate websites, such as those containing offensive, racist or defamatory content; gambling or betting sites; those that may circumvent information security rules such as web-based e-mail; and sites that may affect the efficiency of the network. As the content filtering software is dynamic and the websites which are being blocked are constantly changing, there is no list of websites to which access is prohibited.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2010

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for exception funding have been (a) received and (b) awarded since changes made under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2010 were introduced.

Shailesh Vara: At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world and in the current financial climate cannot continue to sustain this type of spending. It is essential that our limited resources are focused on cases where lawyers most needed-where people's life or liberty is at stake, where they are at risk of serious physical harm or immediate loss of their home, or where their children may be taken into care.
	As of 30 November 2013, the Legal Aid Agency has received 1,030 applications for exceptional funding (of which 983 have been processed) and awarded exceptional funding in 31 cases.
	The exceptional funding scheme ensures the protection of an individual's rights to legal aid under the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as those rights to legal aid that are directly enforceable under European Union law.
	It is only intended as a safety net for these exceptional cases, not as a further category or method of generally accessing legal aid funding.

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints and on what subjects the Independent Monitoring Board of HM Prison Oakwood has received from prisoners in each year since that prison opened.

Jeremy Wright: The Independent Monitoring Board for HMP Oakwood has recorded applications made by prisoners raising concerns via a member of the board during the reporting period from 24 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. A breakdown of the subjects of the applications can be found in the board's report, covering the first year of the establishment's operation, published on 1 August 2013.
	www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/imb/annual-reports-2013/oakwood-2012-2013.pdf

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days of sick leave were taken by staff at (a) HM Prison Oakwood and (b) all adult prisons in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Sickness absence is measured as the average working days lost per staff year, which is the measure used across all Government Departments.
	Figures for average working days lost for prisons in the public and contracted sectors are used in the Prison Rating System and have been published annually since 2011-12 as part of the data set that accompanies the published ratings.
	Figures for 2011-12 can be found on the Data sheet of the published spreadsheet at the following location:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218342/prison-rating-system-2011-12.xls
	Figures for 2012-13 are available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225231/prs-data-12-13.xls
	Data on staff sickness in private sector before 2011-12 is not held by NOMS. Such data needs to be requested from each provider. It has not been possible to gather all the relevant data in the time available. I will write to you when the figures on private sector prisons are available.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the staff turnover was at each adult prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the rate of staff turnover at each public sector adult prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Prison 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Ashwell1 15 — — 
			 Askham Grange 10 3 10 
			 Bedford 6 5 10 
			 Belmarsh 8 5 7 
			 Birmingham2 5 6 — 
			 Blantyre House 1 8 8 
			 Blundeston 6 7 8 
			 Bristol 8 11 11 
			 Brixton 4 7 9 
			 Buckley Hall 6 10 6 
			 Bullingdon 5 5 7 
			 Bullwood Hall1 8 9 — 
			 Bure 3 3 4 
			 Canterbury1 7 3 — 
			 Cardiff 2 4 3 
			 Channings Wood 4 10 7 
			 Chelmsford 7 5 11 
			 Coldingley 4 10 7 
			 Cookham Wood 9 8 8 
			 Dartmoor 8 9 7 
			 Dorchester 7 4 11 
			 Downview 6 7 8 
			 Drake Hall 3 8 4 
			 Durham 6 8 10 
			 East Sutton Park 5 5 5 
			 Eastwood Park 7 9 6 
			 Erlestoke and Shepton Mallet1 7 9 18 
			 Everthorpe 8 7 7 
			 Exeter 9 11 9 
			 Featherstone 7 9 9 
			 Ford 10 10 10 
			 Foston Hall 14 21 5 
			 Frankland 6 4 6 
			 Full Sutton 4 6 7 
			 Garth 4 9 8 
			 Gartree 7 9 15 
			 Gloucester1 10 7 — 
			 Grendon 12 8 7 
		
	
	
		
			 Guys Marsh 5 7 10 
			 Haverigg 6 7 11 
			 Hewell 5 5 7 
			 High Down 7 4 8 
			 High Point 8 9 5 
			 Hollesley Bay 7 3 6 
			 Holloway 8 22 8 
			 Holme House 5 6 4 
			 Hull 8 3 6 
			 Isle of Wight 5 8 7 
			 Kennet 3 4 8 
			 Kingston1 5 9 — 
			 Kirkham 5 15 8 
			 Kirklevington Grange 5 5 9 
			 Lancaster1 5 — — 
			 Latchmere House1 6 29 — 
			 Leeds 7 7 7 
			 Leicester 7 10 9 
			 Lewes 6 5 4 
			 Leyhill 6 6 8 
			 Lincoln 8 7 8 
			 Lindholme 4 6 10 
			 Littlehey 11 8 12 
			 Liverpool 9 6 4 
			 Long Lartin 8 7 6 
			 Low Newton 7 7 5 
			 Maidstone 7 8 4 
			 Manchester 4 5 5 
			 Moorland 5 5 7 
			 Morton Hall 8 10 4 
			 New Hall 5 4 7 
			 North Sea Camp 6 7 5 
			 Northumberland 3 7 10 
			 Norwich 8 6 8 
			 Nottingham 6 6 9 
			 Pentonville 7 6 6 
			 Preston 6 7 8 
			 Ranby 8 5 5 
			 Risley 3 4 5 
			 Send 5 9 9 
			 Sheppey 8 6 9 
			 Shrewsbury1 4 10 — 
			 Stafford 7 7 9 
			 Stocken 7 8 15 
			 Styal 8 9 7 
			 Sudbury 8 18 10 
			 Swansea 6 3 4 
			 The Mount 5 4 8 
			 The Verne 6 9 9 
			 Thorn Cross 8 5 8 
			 Usk/Prescoed 4 3 8 
			 Wakefield 7 6 3 
			 Wandsworth 5 6 7 
			 Wayland 5 6 9 
			 Wealstun 7 4 10 
			 Wellingborough1 14 8 — 
			 Whatton 5 7 6 
			 Whitemoor 6 8 6 
			 Winchester 8 8 12 
			 Woodhill 7 8 12 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 6 6 10 
			 Wymott 4 6 4 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 5 6 7 
			 1 Closure of Lancaster and Ashwell announced in January 2011, of Latchmere House announced in July 2011, of Wellingborough in July 2012 and of Bullwood Hall, Canterbury, Shepton Mallet, Gloucester, Kingston and Shrewsbury announced in January 2013. Turnover rates have not been provided for these prisons in the year of their closure. 2 Birmingham contracted to Private Sector in October 2011. Note: Turnover is calculated as the number of leavers from NOMS for all reasons, including voluntary early departure schemes, divided by the average staff in post over the period. Information refers to both permanent and fixed-term staff. 
		
	
	Data on staff turnover in private sector adult prisons is not held by NOMS. Such data needs to be requested from each provider. It has not been possible to gather all the relevant data yet. However, I will write to you again when the figures on private sector prisons are available.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners have been transferred from the UK to (a) Nigeria, (b) Somalia, (c) India, (d) Pakistan, (e) Vietnam and (f) Jamaica in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Prisoners may be transferred to another state to serve their sentence where there is a prisoner transfer agreement in place between the United Kingdom and the state concerned. There is no prisoner transfer agreement in place between the United Kingdom and Jamaica or between the United Kingdom and Somalia therefore no transfers have taken place to those countries.
	Prisoner transfer agreements are in place between the United Kingdom and Nigeria, India, Vietnam and Pakistan. The following table gives the number of prisoners transferred from England and Wales in each of the last three years to date. The numbers transferred reflect the voluntary nature of the agreements with these countries which require a prisoner to request and consent to transfer. The Government is committed to increasing the number of prisoners who are transferred through the negotiation of prisoner transfer arrangements which do not require the consent of the individual concerned.
	
		
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 India 1 0 1 
			 Pakistan 0 0 0 
			 Nigeria 0 1 0 
			 Vietnam 0 0 3 
		
	
	The transfer of prisoners to and from Scotland and to and from Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the relevant Minister.

Prisons: Education

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of teaching standards and conditions at each private prison in the UK;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to improve teaching standards in private prisons.

Jeremy Wright: I have ministerial responsibility for prisons in England and Wales. Prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the respective devolved Administrations.
	The assessment of teaching standards in prisons is independently undertaken by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (in England) and (in Wales) by Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales. It forms part of the inspections those bodies undertake in conjunction with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP).
	HMIP inspection reports on individual prisons are published on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmi-prisons/prison-and-yoi
	In private prisons, responsibility for the delivery of education lies with the main contractor or forms part of the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) arrangements and is delivered by an FE provider contracted by the Skills Funding Agency.
	Private prisons that directly manage their own education services are responsible for making improvements in teaching standards through quality assurance. In those private prisons in which the OLASS arrangements apply the Skills Funding Agency places specific requirements on the education contractor. These include requirements relating to quality assurance and the teaching qualifications of staff. In both types of delivery within privately-operated prisons, the inspection regime assesses teaching resources.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners in (a) total and (b) each prison in England and Wales were in overcrowded conditions in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The UK Government is committed to providing safe, decent and secure places for those in custody.
	Figures relating to the number of prisoners who are currently held in cells that have been safely adapted to hold extra prisoners are published annually by the National Offender Management Service. In 2012-13 these figures were at their lowest point since 2001-02.
	The proportions of prisoners in total and by prison for the years requested can be found via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls

Prisons: Security

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget was allocated to the National Tactical Response Group in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and what that budget is expected to be in 2014-15.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the budget allocated to the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) in 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14. The budget for 2014-15 has yet to be determined:
	
		
			  Budget (£) 
			 2011-12 534,190 
			 2012-13 432,600 
			 2013-14 396,300 
			 2014-15 Not yet determined 
		
	
	NTRG’s budget is for running costs, e.g. vehicles, maintenance of equipment, uniforms, and does not include staffing costs which are part of the wider HR directorate staffing costs. To produce this information would be at a disproportionate cost.
	NTRG call out costs do not form part of NTRG’s budget allocation as these costs are charged back to the establishments they provide assistance to.
	Prior to 2011-12, NTRG was managed by MOJ Shared Services who also held the budget. Information is not provided for 2009-10 and 2010-11 because MOJ Shared Services use a different budget management system and, therefore, equivalent data cannot be extracted.
	Between 2009 and 2013 there have been no significant fluctuations in NTRG staffing levels.

Stephen Ward

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will grant Stephen Ward a posthumous pardon for his conviction for living off immoral earnings.

Damian Green: We understand that Geoffrey Robertson QC made an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
	This is the most appropriate route to explore this issue, and I am therefore not able to provide any further comment.

Written Questions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of questions tabled for ordinary written answer by his Department (a) were answered after 30 days and (b) have not been answered in each Session of Parliament since 2010;
	(2)  who in his Department is involved in the sign-off for answers to written parliamentary questions;
	(3)  what role his Department's special advisers play in the sign-off process for answers to written parliamentary questions;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day made to his Department (a) received a substantive answer after the named day and (b) have not yet received a substantive answer in each session of Parliament since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The Department processes approximately 3,000 ordinary written and named day PQs per year, covering a diverse range of subject areas which often require complex answers. We endeavour to respond to all written answers within the deadlines set by Parliament.
	Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session (25 May 2010-1 May 2012) are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf
	Statistics relating to performance for the 2012-13 parliamentary Session (9 May 2012-25 April 2013) are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmproced/writev/wpqs/wpq.pdf
	Answers to parliamentary questions are signed off by a senior civil servant and the relevant Minister. Special advisers are employed to provide additional advice and assistance to Ministers across a wide range of areas.
	The Government is committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written PQ performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information relating to the 2013-14 Session to the Committee at the end of the current Session.

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the support provided to young offenders on release from young offenders institutions.

Jeremy Wright: Effective resettlement should help ensure that all young people leaving custody receive the support that they need to help prevent them from reoffending.
	The Youth Justice Board has been working with partners across Government and beyond to help develop an evidence base to understand how youth offending teams (YOTs), local authority partners, custodial providers and wider agencies can work alongside young people and their families and carers in supporting effective resettlement.
	In recent years the YJB has worked with others to launch and evaluate resettlement initiatives including:
	The Resettlement and Aftercare Provision (RAP)-evaluation findings can be found online:
	http://yjbpublications.justice.gov.uk/en-gb/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=474&eP
	Project Daedalus at the Heron Unit at Feltham Young Offenders Institution-evaluation findings can be found online:
	http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/policing-crime/mission-priorities/project-daedalus
	The 'resettlement consortia' (a series of regional-level pilot projects around the country, which each saw a number of local authority areas work together on resettlement issues)-evaluation findings can be found online:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/youth-justice/effective-practice-library/resettlement-consortia-evaluations
	All young people leaving custody are supported and supervised by a multi-agency Youth Offending Team (YOT). YOTs are responsible for engaging these young people in activities which aim to reduce the likelihood of reoffending and for helping to ensure that local authorities fulfil their statutory duties to meet the complex education, employment, housing and healthcare needs of these young people.
	We are intending to build on the existing good practice in this area, and are considering a number of options to improve resettlement outcomes as part of our work to transform youth custody.

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to prevent young offenders under the age of 18 being placed in adult prisons.

Jeremy Wright: There are no under-18s currently in the adult estate. The Youth Justice Board commissions a distinct secure estate into which children and young people under the age of 18 are placed. Capacity and demand is monitored and managed to ensure that adequate space is available for all children and young people aged under 18 who require placement.
	Under 18s will only ever be placed in the adult estate in exceptional circumstances, and only after a thorough risk assessment has been made.
	The YJB, youth secure estate and NOMS work closely together to manage a transition process, from the youth to the adult estate, for those young people who turn 18 in custody. Rigorous safeguards are in place to ensure that young people are not moved into adult prisons prematurely.

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the availability of family visiting programmes in (a) young offender institutions and (b) secure training centres;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage further development of family visit programmes as part of the rehabilitation of young offenders.

Jeremy Wright: The Government recognises the importance of young people receiving family visits to support their rehabilitation and we are committed to promoting positive family contact and supporting young people and their families to achieve this. The YJB ensures, through its service assurance modules, that young people can access their entitled contact with their families. Youth Justice Board and NOMs issue a series of guidance documents, which establishments use to promote positive contact between young people and their families.
	As part of our work to transform youth custody, we are looking at ways to further improve resettlement outcomes for young people. This includes strengthening links with families while young people are in custody.

DEFENCE

Army

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers cap badged to regiments of the Household Division are currently serving.

Mark Francois: The numbers of officers cap badged to regiments of the Household Division are:
	
		
			  Number of officers 
			 1 October 2013 1400 
			 1 Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	The figures are for trained regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time reserve service, mobilised reserves, TA and all other reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from the category Gurkhas trained adult manpower over to UK trained adult personnel.
	All officers with a paid rank of colonel or above are included in the staff strength, and are therefore not included in the figure above.

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of expenditure on defence procurement contracts valued in excess of £5 million was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK in the last three years for which figures are available.

Philip Dunne: For the proportion of expenditure on Defence procurement contracts with UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2013, Official Report, column 305W, to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).
	It is not possible accurately to provide the proportion of expenditure of defence procurement contracts valued in excess of £5 million placed with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland without incurring disproportionate cost.
	However, expenditure that can be identified as with SMEs in Scotland is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Scotland SME expenditure (£) 
			 2010-11 17,807,840 
			 2011-12 6,538,114 
			 2012-13 17,196,819 
		
	
	This analysis is based on expenditure with companies positively identified as SMEs who have a billing address in the Scotland geographic region. It does not include payments made on behalf of other Government Departments, by Ministry of Defence trading funds and Executive non-departmental public bodies, locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments, in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments or by Government procurement card.

Higher Education

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many students his Department sponsored to undertake (a) engineering degrees and (b) other degree courses in British universities in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence sponsors approximately 15 Engineering and Science under-graduates each year from those who have taken A-levels at the Defence Sixth Form College and progressed to university. A further four students were sponsored in 2011, three undertaking engineering degrees and one a Ship Science and Naval Architecture degree.
	In addition, as part of the Defence Equipment and Support up-skilling programme a number of civil servants are funded to undertake higher education/degrees in engineering and science. The following table shows the type of qualification and the number of individuals the department has funded over the last three years.
	
		
			 Academic year/number of staff 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 PhD 1 1 2 
			 Masters 28 19 29 
			 Bachelors 39 43 47 
			 Others (eg ONCs, Diplomas) 4 10 16

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on extending statutory adoption leave and pay to special guardians and kinship and friends carers.

Jo Swinson: Statutory adoption leave and pay is limited to adoptive parents who have gone through the formal adoption process. The Government believes it is essential to understand the issues faced by special guardians and family and friends carers, in order to ensure they receive the support that is appropriate to address their needs. Therefore we will undertake research into the labour market participation of these groups, and what barriers there are to entering or maintaining employment. Separately, special guardians and other family and friends carers can qualify for financial support from local authorities.

Higher Education: Finance

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 43WS, on student support in England, how much funding the 23 alternative providers of Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates received from his Department through the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

David Willetts: These providers are not eligible to receive grant funding through the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Human Trafficking

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage British businesses to ensure that supply chain businesses are free from slavery and the effects of human trafficking.

Michael Fallon: The Government expects UK businesses to operate at all times in a way respectful of human rights whether in Britain or overseas. We published in September an Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, which set out our expectations of business and our commitment to working with business to reduce the risk of abuses occurring in supply chains. The plan also affirmed our commitment to implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
	Since October listed companies are now required to report on human rights issues where material to an understanding of their business in their annual reports.
	We will shortly publish a draft Framework for Action on Corporate Responsibility that will take into account the views of around 150 organisations received over the summer. Supply chain transparency is one of the areas we are considering as part of this work.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the differences in progress being achieved by LEPs across the UK.

Michael Fallon: As partnerships of business and civic leaders, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses. BIS works closely with LEPs to understand and support LEP progress in their delivery of their local growth strategies and programmes.

Regional Growth Fund

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 3.24 of the National Audit Office report, Funding and structures for local economic growth, published on 6 December 2013, for what reasons 40 Regional Growth Fund schemes achieved less than 25 per cent of their annual job targets.

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a public and private sector partnership meaning that we work with the private sector and move at its pace. This ensures that the jobs created by the RGF are sustainable.
	In Rounds 1 and 2, some companies could not invest at the speed they originally envisaged for various commercial reasons. In most cases this was due to a desire to delay their investment timetable until the national economic picture was more certain. In those cases the payment of RGF was withheld as the terms of the original offer from Government had not been met.
	We have agreed new job creation profiles with those projects and programmes, meaning those schemes will progress and the total jobs promised will be delivered in future years.
	We work very closely with all beneficiaries to ensure they meet all the terms of the agreed offer and to ensure that any slippage to those terms is a last resort.

Regional Growth Fund: Northamptonshire

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that the Regional Growth Fund has created or will create in (a) Corby constituency and (b) East Northamptonshire.

Michael Fallon: There are no direct Regional Growth Fund (RGF) awards in Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency. There have been two programme awards to Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, which SMEs in Corby and East Northamptonshire are able to bid into. The first, from RGF Round 3 will create and safeguard 300 jobs across the county and the second, from RGF Round 4, will create and safeguard 850 jobs.

Regional Planning and Development

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the National Audit Office report, Funding and structures for local economic growth, published on 6 December 2013, what assessment he has made of the effect on local growth of the dip in funding from central Government at the time of the transition from regional development agencies to the new local growth landscape.

Michael Fallon: The National Audit Office (NAO) report compares RDA spending with a narrow definition of new local growth programmes in order to reach their conclusion that there has been a marked dip in funding. What the NAO describes as a dip was minimal relative to wider growth-related spending of over £52 billion by central and local Government, including EU structural funds which continued, albeit at a reduced level, as the NAO reports.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when a judgement was made on the correct valuation of Royal Mail shares ahead of privatisation.

Michael Fallon: Final decisions about the Royal Mail share price were taken on 8 October 2013 with conditional trading beginning on 11 October 2013.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the banks and advisers involved in the Royal Mail privatisation have been paid.

Michael Fallon: We took an aggressive approach to fees and they compare well with precedents. The underwriting banks will share a maximum fee of 1.2% of the institutional proceeds (compared with 2.5% for QinetiQ) equivalent to £16.9 million. That maximum includes a potential discretionary fee of £4.2 million. No decision has been made on the payment of the discretionary fee. Lazard received a fee of £1.5 million. These and details of the other advisers fees will be made available to the National Audit Office for its value for money investigation of the Royal Mail share offer which is due to be published next spring.

Tobacco: Packaging

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the effects on small independent retailers of the introduction of the standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Jane Ellison: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	The Government will consider the wider issues raised by standardised tobacco packaging, including the possible impact on small retailers, before making a final decision on this policy.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank each English acute hospital trust by the percentage change and number of accident and emergency attendances since 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: Tables showing the change in accident and emergency attendances between 2009-10 to 2012-13, for each English acute NHS foundation trust and acute NHS trust, sorted by percentage change and change in number, have been placed in the Library. These data reflect organisational changes as well as changes in activity levels and therefore comparison between trusts may not be appropriate. For example, prior to 2013 primary care trusts provided Type 3 accident and emergency services. From April this year, this activity is now undertaken by acute providers in many cases.
	These tables do not include data for all accident and emergency departments, only those that belong to an acute NHS foundation trust or an acute NHS trust in England.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank each English acute hospital trust by the percentage change and number of accident and emergency admissions since 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: Tables showing the change in accident and emergency admissions between 2009-10 to 2012-13, for each English acute NHS foundation trust and acute NHS trust, sorted by percentage change and change in number, have been placed in the Library. These data reflect organisational changes as well as changes in activity levels and therefore comparison between trusts may not be appropriate. For example, prior to 2013 primary care trusts provided Type 3 accident and emergency services. From April this year, this activity is now undertaken by acute providers in many cases.
	These tables do not include data for all accident and emergency departments, only those that belong to an acute NHS foundation trust or an acute NHS trust in England.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses worked in NHS accident and emergency departments in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The number of doctors and nurses working in NHS accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England is not collected centrally.
	The number of hospital doctors with an emergency medicine qualification working in NHS A&E departments in each NHS trust in the former West Midlands strategic health authority area and in England from 2008 to 2012 is shown in the table.
	The source of the data is the annual NHS workforce census. The census is published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and shows the numbers at 30 September each year. The September 2013 data will be published in March 2014.
	
		
			 Hospital and Community Health Services: medical staff in the accident and emergency specialty, as at 30 September each year 
			 Full-time equivalents 
			   2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			  England 4,747 4,832 5,086 5,284 5,437 
			        
			  West Midlands 446 451 490 511 524 
			 5CN Herefordshire Primary Care Trust 0 0 0 * * 
			 RBK Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 23 24 26 25 27 
			 RJC South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust 19 16 18 19 20 
			 RJD Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 16 19 21 24 26 
			 RJE University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 32 31 30 29 39 
			 RJF Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 14 16 16 17 19 
			 RKB University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 41 42 45 43 42 
			 RL4 Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust 21 32 40 51 45 
			 RLQ Wye Valley NHS Trust 14 14 13 12 13 
			 RLT George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 13 11 11 18 14 
			 RNA Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust 29 26 34 36 34 
			 RQ3 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 15 16 19 22 22 
			 RR1 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust 56 57 70 69 72 
			 RRK University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 31 22 24 28 30 
			 RWP Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 39 40 41 42 38 
			 RXK Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 60 58 55 49 52 
			 RXW Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 23 24 27 29 33 
			 '0' Denotes more than zero, less than one. ‘*' Denotes zero. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he (a) has made and (b) is aware of as to when the downgrading of emergency services at (i) West Middlesex, (ii) Hammersmith, (iii) Ealing, (iv) Charing Cross and (v) Central Middlesex will commence; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In a statement to the House of Commons on 30 October 2013, Official Report, columns 921-22, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) announced that changes to accident and emergency (A&E) services at Hammersmith and Central Middlesex hospitals should be implemented as soon as practicable once the winter of 2013-14 is over.
	The Secretary of State also announced that further work is needed before a final decision can be made about changes to urgent and emergency care at Ealing and Charing Cross hospitals. However, he stated that those hospitals should ultimately continue to offer an A&E service, even if it should be a different shape or size from that currently provided.
	No changes to any of these services will take place until NHS England is assured that all the necessary increases in capacity in north-west London's hospitals and primary and community services have been developed.
	A&E services at West Middlesex hospital are not affected by the proposals.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Department has to create a cross-departmental working group on alcohol.

Jane Ellison: Meetings are held at ministerial level to discuss matters arising from the strategy, supported by regular official level meetings of a cross-Government alcohol strategy implementation group, involving Departments with an interest in the strategy.
	The Government also engages with other external partners, including health, enforcement and industry bodies, through the Government and Partners Alcohol Working Group.

Breast Cancer

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is of a breast cancer operation in England and Wales.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The Department collects reference costs annually from national health service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England. Reference costs are the average unit cost to the NHS of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients.
	Reference costs for acute health care services are collected by Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use similar levels of health care resource. HRGs are organised into chapters and sub-chapters according to body systems. The following table shows the average cost of procedures relating to the breast in HRG sub-chapter J, which may include the costs of some procedures following diagnoses other than breast cancer. The average cost of all these procedures, when weighted for activity, is £1,567.
	These costs do not include Wales, where health is a devolved matter.
	
		
			 Average cost for dominant procedures relating to breast surgery in England in 2012-13 
			 Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) label HRG code Average cost (£) 
			 Free perforator flap breast reconstruction JA14Z 8,893 
			 Unilateral minor breast procedures JA18Z 287 
			 Bilateral minor breast procedures JA19Z 463 
			 Unilateral major breast procedures with complications and comorbidities (CC) Score 6+ JA20D 3,529 
			 Unilateral major breast procedures with CC Score 3-5 JA20E 2,834 
			 Unilateral major breast procedures with CC Score 0-2 JA20F 2,443 
			 Bilateral major breast procedures with CC Score 1+ JA21A 3,784 
			 Bilateral major breast procedures with CC Score 0 JA21B 3,178 
			 Unilateral intermediate breast procedures with CC Score 6+ JA24D 4,294 
			 Unilateral intermediate breast procedures with CC Score 3-5 JA24E 2,247 
			 Unilateral intermediate breast procedures with CC Score 0-2 JA24F 1,399 
			 Bilateral intermediate breast procedures JA25Z 1,892 
			 Major breast procedures with lymph node surgery, with CC Score 5+ JA26A 4,471 
			 Major breast procedures with lymph node surgery, with CC Score 2-4 JA26B 3,591 
			 Major breast procedures with lymph node surgery, with CC Score 0-1 JA26C 3,372 
			 Mastectomy with simple breast reconstruction JA27Z 6,748 
			 Mastectomy with complex breast reconstruction JA28Z 11,139 
			 Unilateral pedicled myocutaneous breast reconstruction with or without insertion of prosthesis JA30Z 5,154 
			 Bilateral pedicled myocutaneous breast reconstruction with or without insertion of prosthesis JA31Z 7,492 
			 Note: Average costs are calculated across the following settings: day case, elective in-patient, non-elective in-patient, regular day or night attendance, and procedures in out-patients. Costs include excess bed days above expected lengths of stay for each HRG. Source: 2012-13 reference costs, published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013

Breast Cancer

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a mammogram is in England and Wales.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available.
	The Department collects reference costs annually from national health service, trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England. Reference costs are the average unit cost to the NHS of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients.
	Reference costs for acute health care services are collected by Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use similar levels of health care resource. However, mammography is not taken into account for the purpose of grouping to HRGs, and its costs are included in the cost of the patient attendance or episode where the diagnostic occurred.
	Health is a devolved matter in Wales.

Cancer: Drugs

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for funding have been accepted for exceptional cases from the Cancer Drugs Fund for treatments not on the approved list since 1 April 2013.

Norman Lamb: Information on individual Cancer Drugs Fund requests (ICDFRs) considered by NHS England since 1 April 2013 is included in the following table.
	
		
			 Individual Cancer Drugs Fund requests, April to September 2013 
			 Region Number of ICDFR applications approved by CDF panel 
			 London 61 
			 East Midlands 14 
			 North 30 
			 South 70 
			 Total 175 
			 Source: NHS England www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the actual budget allocation and percentage change for each London clinical commissioning group was in 2012-13; and what he estimates each will be in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Funding for commissioning health services in 2012-13 was allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs). Information relating to allocations for 2014-15 is not yet available. Information on allocations to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in London for 2013-14 is shown in the following table. Each CCG received a cash increase of 2.3% compared to the PCTs' funding for the equivalent set of services in 2012-13.
	
		
			 CCG name 2013-14 revenue allocation (£000) 
			 NHS Barking and Dagenham 238,394 
			 NHS Barnet 415,488 
			 NHS Bexley 256,924 
			 NHS Brent 397,829 
			 NHS Bromley 369,235 
			 NHS Camden 348,722 
			 NHS Central London (Westminster) 248,751 
			 NHS City and Hackney 341,085 
			 NHS Croydon 409,568 
			 NHS Ealing 418,571 
			 NHS Enfield 339,393 
			 NHS Greenwich 326,541 
			 NHS Hammersmith and Fulham 243,652 
			 NHS Haringey 310,170 
			 NHS Harrow 245,893 
			 NHS Havering 309,365 
			 NHS Hillingdon 294,320 
			 NHS Hounslow 280,752 
			 NHS Islington 303,858 
			 NHS Kingston 196,840 
			 NHS Lambeth 415,607 
		
	
	
		
			 NHS Lewisham 364,146 
			 NHS Merton 208,020 
			 NHS Newham 384,651 
			 NHS Redbridge 292,779 
			 NHS Richmond 209,295 
			 NHS Southwark 350,720 
			 NHS Sutton 208,986 
			 NHS Tower Hamlets 324,996 
			 NHS Waltham Forest 303,481 
			 NHS Wandsworth 391,052 
			 NHS West London (Kensington and Chelsea, Queen's Park and Paddington) 329,236

Cystic Fibrosis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of cystic fibrosis have been diagnosed since 2010 in (a) total and (b) each parliamentary constituency.

Norman Lamb: Information concerning the number of cases of cystic fibrosis (CF) that have been diagnosed since 2010 in (a) total and (b) each parliamentary constituency is not centrally collected. However, in its service specification for adults with CF, NHS England has estimated that the disease affects about 9,000 people (one in 2,500 live births). The service specification can be found at the following link:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a01-cyst-fibr-ad.pdf

Dementia: Cornwall

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to Cornwall from the fund to help create care environments for people with dementia.

Norman Lamb: On 25 July 2013, we announced the successful bidders of the £50 million fund (£25 million for the national health service and £25 million for social care) for the “Improving the Environment for Care for People with Dementia “initiative. The money will be used to launch care environment pilot projects designed for the needs of people with dementia to inform future departmental policy initiatives and best practice. As part of this pilot initiative, Cornwall has been allocated a total of £1,489,752.
	A list of the successful bidders has been placed in the Library and is available on the gov.uk website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/dementia-friendly-environments-funding-successful-bids

Depressive Illnesses: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the relationship between depression and musculoskeletal conditions; and how NHS England is working with primary care services to ensure that such multi-morbidities are addressed by GPs.

Norman Lamb: This Government is committed to improving care for people with long-term conditions (LTC), so that they are able to enjoy an independent, fulfilling life, and have the support needed to manage their health. It is recognised that living with a long term musculoskeletal condition can impact upon a person's mental wellbeing, which is why clinical guidance on musculoskeletal multidisciplinary team support includes psychological support.
	The national health service is exploring ways to improve services for patients with more than one LTC, in particular patients with serious mental illness and common LTCs, such as obesity and diabetes which impact on musculoskeletal health, through specialised annual health checks.
	The Department, with experts and our partners, is examining policy options around multi-morbidity including a set of principles that could inform better management of co morbidity at individual and population level. These include promoting patient-led care and self-management, as well as improving data use. Their application to the population of older people with musculoskeletal conditions is being explored.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is changing its focus from single disease recommendations to recommendations for approaches to care and service delivery. The guideline, “Common Mental Health Disorders: The NICE Guideline on identification and pathways to care”, covers depression and anxiety disorders in adults (18 years and older), including, where relevant, issues relating to multi-morbidity. It is intended that this guideline will be useful to clinicians and service commissioners in providing and planning high-quality care for people with a common mental health disorder, while also emphasising the importance of the experience of care for them and their families and carers.

Health Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the current marketing budget for Public Health England is being spent on (a) alcohol, (b) tobacco, (c) obesity and physical health, (d) sexual health and (e) drugs campaigns.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England's (PHE) 2013-14 marketing budget has been allocated across six major programmes (Smoke free, Change for life, Start for life, Youth, Healthy older adults and Innovation). These programmes cover alcohol, tobacco and drug use, obesity, physical health and sexual health.
	The percentage of the budget allocated to each of these issues is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Campaign Percentage of the budget (%) 
			 Change for Life (includes alcohol as well as obesity and physical health) 21 
			 Tobacco 25 
			 Youth (including sexual health and drugs) 4 
			 Start4Life (covers obesity and physical activity for babies, young children and pregnant women as well as alcohol and tobacco consumption in pregnancy) 3 
		
	
	Tobacco remains a single issue campaign because of the significant health harms caused by smoking and the importance of this as a public health issue. The Youth Marketing Programme is taking a life-stage approach because it focuses on building young people's resilience, and challenging specific risky behaviour which impacts on their development, health and well-being. Topics addressed include smoking, substance misuse, alcohol and sex and relationships
	PHE's marketing plan and its underpinning approach that guides the campaigns for 2013-14 can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186957/PHE_Marketing_Plan_2013-14_1651.pdf

Health Services: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he (a) has and (b) is aware of for further investment (i) in primary care services in Harrow, (ii) for extending opening hours GP surgeries and (iii) for expanding the opening hours of Alexandra Avenue polyclinic; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In a statement to the House of Commons on 30 October 2013, Official Report, columns 921-22, about proposals for health services in north-west London under the “Shaping a Healthier Future” reconfiguration scheme, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), made clear that no changes to any of these services will take place until NHS England is assured that all the necessary increases in capacity in north-west London's hospitals and primary and community services have been developed.
	We are assured that NHS England will be working with local clinical commissioning groups to develop a system of seven-day working for general practitioner (GP) practices, meaning patients will have regular access to a GP, seven days a week.

Health Services: Older People

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment Public Health England has made of (a) the effect of an aging population on prevalence of disease and (b) the consequent public health challenges.

Jane Ellison: Although Public Health England (PHE) has made no new, specific assessment of the effect of an aging population on the prevalence of disease, it has developed disease prevalence models showing the levels of different diseases for various age groups for each local authority area. For example the diabetes model specifically examines the impact of age on prevalence, projecting this into the future. The Global Burden of Disease—co-authored by PHE—shows how the prevalence of all of the most common diseases vary by age at a national level.
	In addition, PHE is commissioning a piece of work to model the future prevalence of disease which will include predictions of population aging.
	The key public health challenges that will be faced as a result of the aging population are not dramatically different from current issues. Continued improvement and expansion of prevention programmes will be necessary to maximise impact upon, and amelioration of, the increased burden of disease we can expect to see.

Health: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank each London local authority by the per capita allocation for public health in 2013-14.

Jane Ellison: The per capita public health allocations for London local authorities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Rank (ascending) Local authority name 2013-14 allocation per head (£) 
			 1 Bexley 29 
			 2 Redbridge 35 
			 3 Harrow 36 
			 4 Havering 36 
			 5 Barnet 37 
			 6 Bromley 40 
			 7 Richmond upon Thames 40 
			 8 Enfield 40 
			 9 Waltham Forest 42 
			 10 Sutton 43 
			 11 Merton 43 
			 12 Hounslow 48 
			 13 Croydon 49 
			 14 Kingston upon Thames 53 
			 15 Hillingdon 54 
			 16 Brent 58 
			 17 Ealing 62 
			 18 Barking and Dagenham 66 
			 19 Haringey 67 
			 20 Lewisham 68 
			 21 Greenwich 71 
			 22 Southwark 72 
			 23 Newham 75 
			 24 Wandsworth 78 
			 25 Lambeth 82 
			 26 Hammersmith and Fulham 111 
			 27 Camden 111 
			 28 Islington 115 
			 29 Hackney 115 
			 30 Tower Hamlets 116 
			 31 Kensington and Chelsea 130 
			 32 Westminster 132 
			 33 City of London 192 
			    
			 England — 49 
		
	
	Actual allocations did not reflect the target allocation immediately. Giving all areas their target allocation immediately would risk destabilising existing services in areas receiving more than their target allocation, and give other areas a rapid increase in funding that they could not use effectively.

Health: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank each London local authority by the actual and percentage distance from the public health formula funding target.

Jane Ellison: The actual and percentage distance from target (DFT) for public health allocations for London local authorities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Ranking below to above Local authority name Total allocations (£000) 2013-14 closing DFT (£000) 2013-14 closing target (£000) 2013-14 closing DFT (percentage) 
			 1 Waltham Forest 11,161 -6,625 17,785 -37.2 
			 2 Bexley 6,886 -2,664 9,550 -27.9 
			 3 Redbridge 10,374 -3,301 13,675 -24.1 
			 4 Hounslow 12,804 -2,687 15,491 -17.3 
			 5 Enfield 12,961 -2,524 15,485 -16.3 
			 6 Havering 8,833 -1,529 10,362 -14.8 
			 7 Newham 23,738 -4,092 27,830 -14.7 
			 8 Barking and Dagenham 12,921 -1,551 14,472 -10.7 
			 9 Greenwich 18,277 -983 19,260 -5.1 
			 10 Haringey 17,587 -793 18,379 -4.2 
			 11 Barnet 13,799 -602 14,401 -4.2 
			 12 Southwark 21,809 -870 22,678 -3.8 
			 13 Lambeth 25,438 -1,004 26,442 -3.8 
			 14 Harrow 8,874 -332 9,206 -3.6 
			 15 Sutton 8,384 -312 8,696 -3.6 
			 16 Croydon 18,312 -146 18,458 -0.8 
			 17 Brent 18,335 -83 18,418 -0.5 
			 18 Hillingdon 15,281 258 15,024 1.7 
			 19 Lewisham 19,541 420 19,121 2.2 
			 20 Merton 8,985 448 8,536 5.3 
			 21 Ealing 21,376 1,338 20,037 6.7 
			 22 Bromley 12,601 1,509 11,092 13.6 
			 23 Tower Hamlets 31,382 5,107 26,276 19.4 
			 24 Richmond upon Thames 7,676 1,349 6,327 21.3 
			 25 Islington 24,737 5,301 19,436 27.3 
			 26 Hackney 29,005 6,939 22,066 31.4 
			 27 Kingston upon Thames 9,049 2,346 6,703 35.0 
			 28 Wandsworth 24,738 6,515 18,223 35.7 
			 29 Camden 25,649 8,438 17,212 49.0 
			 30 Hammersmith and Fulham 20,287 8,784 11,503 76.4 
			 31 Westminster 30,384 17,676 12,708 139.1 
			 32 Kensington and Chelsea 20,636 13,552 7,084 191.3 
			 33 City of London 1,651 1,402 249 562.9 
		
	
	The Government has allocated £5.46 billion over two years for the new public health responsibilities of local authorities. All authorities will see real terms growth in both years. The average growth across two years is 10.8%, with a majority receiving at least 5.7% and a significant number receiving 21.0%.

Liver Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the national liver strategy will be published.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England.
	NHS England advises that it is adopting a broad strategy for delivering improvements in relation to premature mortality. It is working with commissioners and Public Health England to support clinical commissioning groups to understand where local challenges lie and to identify the evidence in relation to the priorities for reducing mortality at a national level. It is generally avoiding trying to work in a condition specific way and has no plans to produce a liver specific strategy.

Liver Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role Public Health England is playing in providing the national liver strategy.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England. NHS England has a broad strategy for delivering improvements in relation to premature mortality, and is working with commissioners and Public Health England (PHE) to support clinical commissioning groups to understand where local challenges lie and to identify the evidence in relation to the priorities for reducing mortality at a national level. It is generally avoiding trying to work in a condition specific way and has no plans to produce a liver-specific strategy. PHE is working alongside the Department, NHS England and primary care to improve early diagnosis and prevention of the contributing factors related to liver disease.

Northwick Park Hospital

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital investment took place at Northwick Park Hospital, part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, between 1997 and 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department holds financial data by NHS trust, and it is not possible to disaggregate this into individual hospitals. Data in respect of Northwick Park Hospital is therefore not held centrally.
	In common with many other public and private sector organisations the Department only holds accounting data at organisation level for seven years, and therefore data has been provided for the financial years 2006-07 to 2010-11.
	In line with HM Treasury guidance, 2009-10 was the first year that data was compiled in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), whereas the earlier years' data was compiled under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (UK GAAP). This is a fundamental change to the basis on which the data is compiled, and means that a direct comparison should not be made between 2009-10 and the earlier years' data. The change to IFRS means that many assets previously held 'off-balance sheet, such as PR schemes, are now fully recognised in organisations' books, which will mean the amount charged against the capital resource limit is likely to be higher in 2009-10.
	The figures provided in the following table show the charge against Capital Resource Limit of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Category 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Charge against the Capital Resource Limit 18,250 10,522 13,549 14,252 19,997 
			 Source: The information is taken from the audited summarisation schedule of the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, submitted to the Department of Health to prepare consolidated accounts.

Northwick Park Hospital

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects refurbishment work at Northwick Park Accident and Emergency Department to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that refurbishment work at the Northwick Park accident and emergency department is due to be completed in 2014.

Tuberculosis

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children and (b) adults were diagnosed with tuberculosis in (i) Corby constituency, (ii) Northamptonshire and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom is assessed through systematic analysis of notification data obtained from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance System run by Public Health England. In 2012 in the UK, a total of 8,751 cases of TB were reported, a rate of 13.9 cases per 100,000 population.
	TB rates in the UK showed a sustained increase from 2000 until 2005, and have remained among the highest in Western Europe. Certain sub-groups, such as new migrants, ethnic minority groups, and those with social risk factors (homelessness, imprisonment or problem drug/alcohol use) have particularly high rates.
	The following table shows the number of TB case reports for Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, South Northamptonshire, Northampton and Wellingborough local authorities and England by age group from 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 TB case reports in Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, South Northamptonshire, Northampton, Wellingborough local authorities and England by age, 2008-12 
			  TB case reports 
			  0 to 14 years > 14 years  
			 Local authority/country 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total (all ages) 
			 Corby <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 5 13 9 5 <5 38 
			 Daventry <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 6 <5 <5 <5 16 
			 East Northamptonshire <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 5 <5 <5 16 
			 Kettering <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 9 6 5 9 6 35 
			 Northampton <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 10 27 39 33 33 45 187 
		
	
	
		
			 South Northamptonshire <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 5 <5 <5 <5 7 17 
			 Wellingborough <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 9 8 10 9 7 43 
			 England 457 395 355 373 398 1,978 7,398 7,747 7,320 7,886 7,732 40,061 
			 Note: Cell sizes less than 5 have been suppressed to prevent deductive disclosure of cases. Source: Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance. Data as at July 2013.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what period his Department has committed funding to the (a) carbon reduction commitment, (b) climate change levy and (c) feed in tariffs schemes.

Gregory Barker: The Environment Agency's costs in administering the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme are met by participants. DECC funds the set up of the scheme and enforcement. Such funding is only agreed for the spending review period; that is to 2015-16. The Climate Change Levy is administered by HM Revenue and Customs and so ECC commits no funding to it.
	The Feed-in Tariffs scheme is part of the Levy Control Framework (LCF), which has been greed to 2020-21. The LCF profile to 2020-21 can be found in Annex D of the draft delivery plan:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223654/emr_consultation_annex_d.pdf

Energy Supply

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress Ofgem has made on considering the generation industry's CMP213 modification proposal; and when he expects the decision on approval and implementation to be (a) made and (b) communicated.

Michael Fallon: The timeline for this modification proposal is a matter for Ofgem. In its consultation, which closed on 10 October 2013, Ofgem said that it planned to publish a final decision on whether to approve its preferred approach, and if so when it should be implemented, towards the end of 2013.

Energy Supply

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the National Grid to issue formally the draft transmission network use of system figures for the 2014-15 charging year.

Michael Fallon: National Grid is expected to publish final Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) figures for the 2014-15 charging year on 31 January 2014.
	National Grid's licence requires it to produce forecast TNUoS figures on a quarterly basis. The last update was on 4 November 2013 and can be found here:
	http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Industry-information/System-charges/Electricity-transmission/Approval-conditions/Condition-5/

Energy: Prices

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the decision by Ofgem to stop energy companies from offering a prompt payment discount; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem is introducing reforms to the retail energy market to give consumers simpler tariff choices and clearer information. Ofgem has introduced rules to standardise discounts across suppliers and has banned discounts that are dependent on consumers' behaviour, such as prompt payment discounts. Suppliers are still able to offer discounts to customers for paying by direct debit or managing their account online.
	Ofgem's reforms overall will lead to a fairer and more transparent market and will enable consumers to compare tariffs more easily and accurately.

Energy: Prices

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the reduction in consumer energy bills announced on 2 December 2013 will apply to off-grid gas consumers.

Michael Fallon: The package of measures announced on 2 December 2013 will see households receive a reduction in their energy bill of around £50 on average. The Government funded rebate element of the package (£12) will be applied to household electricity accounts, meaning that homes off the gas grid are not excluded. The Government has encouraged energy suppliers to ensure that all customers benefit from the whole package of measures.

Power Stations

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many power stations of what capacity are currently mothballed;
	(2)  what the readiness to produce power is of each power station in the UK that is currently mothballed;
	(3)  what the expected remaining operational life is of each power station in the UK that is currently mothballed.

Michael Fallon: Government has not historically held information on mothballed power stations. Based on information that is in the public domain, we are aware of two power stations (Keadby and King's Lynn) which have declared that they are mothballed. or similarly unavailable to generate this winter but could return if market conditions improve. These power stations had a total generating capacity of around 1.1 GW.
	In addition, there may be other power stations which are closed but could return to operation if market conditions improved sufficiently. However, it is very difficult to estimate the amount of capacity which falls into this category.
	The readiness to produce power of any mothballed power stations and their operational lifetime is a commercial matter for the companies involved.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evaluation he has made of the geological capacity to co-dispose of legacy and radioactive waste from new build nuclear reactors in a single geological disposal repository.

Michael Fallon: The UK Government and devolved Administrations for Wales and Northern Ireland published a White Paper in June 2008, as part of the Government's Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme, outlining a framework for the implementation of geological disposal of higher activity wastes (HAW) in the UK. The inventory of wastes for disposal in the UK is updated on a regular basis.
	As noted in the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Nuclear Power Generation published in 2011, the Government considers, based on scientific consensus and international experience, that despite some differences in characteristics, waste and spent fuel from new nuclear build would not raise such different technical issues compared with nuclear waste from legacy programmes as to require a different technical solution.
	The NPS also stated that Government favours a single geological disposal facility for all higher activity wastes if that proves technically possible. However, it has not ruled out the alternative of there being more than one facility, and the GDF site selection process as set out in the 2008 MRWS White Paper was designed to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate this. Government has recently consulted on proposals for a revised GDF siting process in which we proposed maintaining a similar level of flexibility, and we will publish our response to the consultation in due course.

Trawsfynydd Power Station

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the future of the Trawsfynydd nuclear site.

Michael Fallon: I have had no specific discussions on the future of the Trawsfynydd nuclear site. The site is currently in decommissioning and is designated as the statutory responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) under the Energy Act 2004. The NDA's 2011 Strategy, as approved by Ministers, includes a plan to accelerate the decommissioning of the Trawsfynydd nuclear site so that it enters the care and maintenance phase by the end of 2016.

Warm Front Scheme: Mobile Homes

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason park home residents are excluded from receiving the Warm Home benefit; and if he will review the current policy.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount provides assistance to over 2 million low income and vulnerable households annually. In most cases, support takes the form of a direct rebate off a household electricity bill.
	The scheme necessarily has eligibility rules. One of the criteria for receiving the rebate is that the person receiving it, or their partner, is named on the electricity account. Therefore, anyone who does not meet the criteria is not eligible for the discount. In the case of park home residents it is usually the site operator who is responsible for the electricity account, rather than individual park home owners. Where this is the case, individual park home residents do not meet the scheme's eligibility criteria.
	All the scheme's rules serve an important purpose. This winter, as a result of data matching between DWP and participating energy suppliers, over 1.1 million households have received a £135 rebate automatically. To be able to operate this kind of scheme at this kind of scale, we need rules that help with delivery practicalities and, importantly, rules that help reduce the risk of fraud and error.
	We will be consulting next year on changes to the scheme for 2015-16 onwards. As part of that we will welcome practical suggestions on how energy suppliers can pay electricity bill rebates to those, such as park home residents, who do not have an account with them.

CABINET OFFICE

Life Expectancy

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women is in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health what the life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women is in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK. [179047].
	Life expectancy figures for parliamentary constituencies are not readily available. However, figures are available for local authority districts, unitary authorities, counties and regions within the UK.
	Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The following table provides the period life expectancy at birth for males and females in Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK for the period 2008-2010 (the latest figures available for these areas). Life expectancy figures for the periods 2009-2011 and 2010-2012 are not available for Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK because population estimates for these years for Scotland and council areas within it have not been revised in light of the 2011 Census.
	Period life expectancies at birth for males and females for all local authority districts, unitary authorities, counties and regions in the UK, for rolling three-year periods from 1991-1993 onwards are published on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/index.html
	
		
			 Life expectancy at birth for males and females in Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK, 2008-101, 2 
			 Years of life 
			 Period Area Males Females 
			 2008-10 Glasgow City 71.6 78.0 
			  Scotland 75.9 80.4 
			  UK 78.2 82.3 
			 1 Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. 2 Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. Source: Office for National Statistics

Part-time Employment: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of women who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands;
	(2)  what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of women who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands;
	(4)  what estimate the he has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands;
	(5)  what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of women who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179896); what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179897); what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179902); for the proportion of women who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179898); and for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179899).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 shows the percentage of women aged 16 to 64 who were in part-time employment; the percentage of 16 to 24 year old people who were in part-time employment; and the percentage of 16 to 64 year old people who were in part-time employment according to survey responses from the APS for the 12 month period July 2012 to June 2013, the latest available period for the requested geographies.
	Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes, estimates of the proportion of women or young people who had been unemployed for more than 12 months are not available for parliamentary constituencies. As an alternative, table 2 shows the percentage of women and 18 to 24 year olds who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 12 months for October 2013, the latest available period, for the requested geographies.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Sovereignty: Scotland

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential effect of Scottish independence on (a) the public sector and (b) departmental offices based in Scotland which deal with clients in the whole of the UK.

Greg Clark: The UK Government strongly believes that Scotland is better off in the UK and the UK is better off with Scotland in it, and is committed to making a strong and positive case for the Union. It is doing this through the Scotland Analysis programme—a comprehensive programme of work to inform and support the debate on Scotland's future within the UK. The programme is producing detailed evidence and analysis to assess Scotland's place in the UK, how it contributes to and benefits from being part of the United Kingdom. The work is informed by expert and legal opinion and open to scrutiny when it is published.

Travellers

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of Roma currently residing in the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013
	On behalf of Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question what estimate has been made of the number of Roma currently residing in the UK. (179018)
	ONS is responsible for the census in England and Wales. The census is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it is the responsibility of the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. However, ONS has a responsibility to collate statistics for the UK where possible.
	There was not a separate category for 'Roma' in the ethnic group questions in any of the UK censuses. However, anyone who wished to record their ethnicity as 'Roma' could do so by using the write-in options. The number of people who described themselves as ‘Roma’ is not included in any census standard outputs. In order to supply you with the information requested, the three census offices have produced a table (CT0112) which shows the number of people in the UK who described themselves as Roma is 785.
	Although you have asked for information on Roma, you may be interested in statistics of Gypsy/Traveller/Irish Traveller. Information has been extracted from published 2011 Census Key Statistics tables KS201EW, KS201SC and KS201NI. The ethnic group question categories were not labelled the same in each of the UK censuses but they do provide comparable statistics. The question category labels and the relevant statistics are shown as follows.
	England and Wales: ‘Gypsy or Irish Traveller’—57,680
	Scotland: ‘Gypsy/Traveller’—4,212
	Northern Ireland: ‘Irish Traveller’—1,301
	Table KS201EW is available from
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks201ew
	Table KS201SC is available from
	http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release2a/scotland/KS201SC.xls
	Table KS201NI is available from
	http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/pivotgrid.aspx?dataSetVars=ds-2484-lh-44-yn-2011-sk-136-sn-Census%202011-yearfilter--

Unemployment: Older Workers

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available (179048).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentreplus Administrative System.
	Table 1 shows the number of people who were claiming JSA in October 2013, the latest available period, for people aged 50 to 59; 60 and over; 50 and over—the total of these two categories, for the requested geographies.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number1 of people claiming jobseeker's allowance by age band 
			  Age 50 to 59 Age 60 and over Age 50 and over2 
			 Glasgow North West 370 45 415 
		
	
	
		
			 Glasgow 2,900 355 3,255 
			 Scotland 17,545 2,580 20,130 
			 United Kingdom 195,425 29,505 224,930 
			 1 Data rounded to nearest 5. 2 Totals may not round to the sum of the independently rounded components. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

Unemployment: Young People

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency (179931).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment estimates for small areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes, the requested estimates are not available from this source.
	As an alternative we have provided the percentage of 18 to 24 year olds who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for over 12 months from the Jobcentreplus Administrative system. For October 2013, 0.4% of 18 to 24 year olds had been claiming JSA for over 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

TREASURY

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies received tax relief for workplace nurseries in the last period for which figures are available; and what the average amount of such relief was.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the consequences for due diligence and the requirements for sponsorship of the delisting of Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation from the London Stock Exchange.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for the listing rules. In response to concerns raised about the governance of premium listed companies, the FCA is strengthening these rules following a consultation to safeguard minority shareholders from abuse by controlling shareholders. The FCA is currently consulting on further enhancements to these rules.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme: Scotland

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions Ministers in the Scottish Government have initiated with his Department on whether the Bank of England will continue to have responsibility for the deposit protection guarantee in respect of monies deposited in financial institutions based in Scotland by individuals and businesses after 2016.

Danny Alexander: The Treasury has had no discussions with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the possible role of the Bank of England in respect of financial institutions based in Scotland after 2016.
	If Scotland were to become independent, the FSCS would no longer cover financial firms based in Scotland. Under EU law an independent Scotland would be required to have its own separate deposit guarantee scheme covering firms that are authorised to accept deposits in Scotland.

Lloyds Banking Group and Co-operative Bank

Pat McFadden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings took place between Ministers in his Department and representatives of (a) the Co-operative Bank and (b) Lloyds Bank on Project Verde; what the date was of each such meeting; and which Minister attended each such meeting.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. HM Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Tax Evasion

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to locate and capture the 30 most wanted tax fugitives.

David Gauke: The HMRC Fugitive Unit team consists of one higher officer and two officers managed by one senior investigation officer.
	The Fugitive Unit liaise with the allocated HMRC officer (who has responsibility for the original investigation), sharing information to enable a fugitive to be located.
	When an extradition is arranged the team are able to call on a cadre of HMRC officers specifically trained to handle extraditions from overseas.
	The team focuses not only on the fugitives publicised in the Most Wanted campaign but also on all current HMRC fugitives. There are 124 HMRC fugitives.
	The Fugitive Unit role is to review, trace and locate, and where possible extradite all current HMRC fugitives (including those featured in the Most Wanted campaign) and bring them before the UK court specified in the First Instance or Failure to Appear Warrant. HMRC staff (including the Fugitive Unit) use all available systems and resources to carry out this work. This includes working closely with HMRC’s fiscal liaison officers based overseas, Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency, Interpol and other international partners.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

China: Prime Minister's Visit

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the benefits to cultural sectors following the Prime Minister's recent visit to China.

Maria Miller: I was delighted that my hon. Friend was able to join the Prime Minister's business delegation in China last week. During the visit I signed an Agreement with the Chinese Culture Minister which will enable cultural exchanges to flourish between the UK and China over the next five years. These exchanges will reinforce the UK's reputation as a world leader in the arts and creative industries, and will benefit the cultural sector through creating new opportunities for artists, skilled jobs in our creative economy and a boost for tourism from China.

Tourism: Sporting Events

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to maximise the benefits to tourism of major sporting events.

Helen Grant: Our experience from the Olympics has shown our ability to drive tourism through major events. We have bucked the trend of host cities that have seen a decline in tourism post-hosting the Games.

Tourism: Lincolnshire

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to support tourism in Lincolnshire.

Maria Miller: Lincolnshire benefits from VisitEngland's tourism campaigns to promote the tourism offer across the UK.

Broadband: Northumberland

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made in rolling out broadband across Northumberland; and what progress her Department has made in working with DEFRA and community groups to provide broadband to hard-to-reach areas of Northumberland.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom have reported that first generation broadband has been available from virtually every telephone exchange in the UK for a number of years. They also report that superfast broadband coverage in Northumberland is 49.6%. The current Northumberland broadband project which is due to commence build in early 2014 aims to increase this to 90% by 2015 using the £7 million BDUK allocated funding.

Channel 4

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for future ownership of Channel 4.

Edward Vaizey: There are no current plans to review the status of Channel 4. Channel 4 remains an important and distinctive part of the Public Service Broadcasting framework overall.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how her Department intends to meet the costs of a proposed digital switchover; and what economic impact assessment has been carried out on such costs.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS' assessment of the costs and benefits of a digital radio switchover will be set out in a cost benefit analysis (CBA). We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio shortly.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which UK local radio stations are guaranteed a platform on DAB after the digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS consulted on the criteria the Government would apply when determining which local radio stations would be guaranteed a platform on DAB after a switchover. The consultation proposed that radio stations that can be accessed by a large number of households in a defined area—that is, stations which cover at least 40% of an overlapping local multiplex area1 —would switch to digital. Radio stations which cater for a very local market will be able to choose to stay on FM. In July's Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth paper we said that we would take further views before confirming the 40% threshold.
	1 The 40% threshold refers to the extent of overlapping population, rather than geographical coverage.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that local commercial radio stations can use DAB after the digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS officials are working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are very encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling low cost-low power DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy that digital radio switchover only proceeds if DAB coverage is equal to current AM and FM coverage for all BBC and commercial radio stations.

Edward Vaizey: There are a number of decisions to be made about digital radio switchover but the Government has been clear about the criteria that must be met and that the consumer must be at the heart of any decisions made.

Direct Selling

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies the Information Commissioner's Office has fined for breaking the law in relation to nuisance calls in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: The power to issue Civil Monetary Penalties (fines) was made available to the Information Commissioner, as a result of changes to the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR) 2003, on 26 May 2011 and the subsequent laying of statutory guidance before both Houses in 2012. As a result, no penalties were issued before 2012 and since then, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued monetary penalties as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Number 
			 2012-13 1 
			 2013-14 3

Direct Selling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies have been fined by Ofcom for breaking rules on nuisance telephone calls in the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has issued monetary penalties to four companies in the last five years (2009 to 2013) for breaching Ofcom's statement of policy on persistent misuse, in respect of abandoned and silent nuisance calls. In total, Ofcom has issued 12 monetary penalties for abandoned and silent calls since the start of 2007. Ofcom has also undertaken informal enforcement action, the result of which is that companies about whom Ofcom may have concerns, are brought into compliance more quickly without having to pursue formal action. In the first half of this year, Ofcom took such action against 11 companies, and as a result complaints linked to the telephone numbers used by seven of those organisations stopped and complaints in relation to the remainder fell significantly.

Direct Selling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the performance of Ofcom in tackling the issue of nuisance telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) can issue a monetary penalty of up to £2 million to a company for a breach of their persistent misuse rules. Ofcom has an on-going targeted enforcement programme and in the last two years Ofcom issued monetary penalties totalling £1.56 million. Ofcom is also working closely with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), to tackle the wider issue of nuisance calls, and published a joint action plan in July:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan
	This identified the range of work that Ofcom and the ICO are undertaking including improving call and text message tracing processes and improving guidance for consumers and business. The action plan also includes a joint review of the impact of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) that will conclude in spring 2014 and we will review the findings to determine whether further action is necessary.

Direct Selling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of nuisance telephone calls made in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Vaizey: It is not possible to provide an estimate of this kind as this information is not available. However, Ofcom research has found that 82% of UK adults with a landline reported receiving a nuisance call, during the four week research period at the start of 2013. Those who reported receiving a nuisance call reported receiving an average of about eight calls (8.4) over a four week period, which equates to approximately 2 calls per week and 26% reported more than 10 nuisance calls over the four week period. Ofcom will be repeating this diary-based research in 2014.

Direct Selling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on nuisance telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has received representations from consumer group representatives, regulators, industry and interested Members of Parliament, requesting for action to be taken to deal with nuisance telephone calls. In response, I have been working closely with them to find effective solutions and the Department's further thinking will be set out in our action plan that will be published shortly.

Direct Selling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps her Department has taken to curtail nuisance telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: We outlined our plans in our strategy paper “Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth”, which was published on 30 July:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connectivity-content-and-consumers-britains-digital-platform-for-growth
	This includes enabling the Office of Communications (Ofcom) to share information more easily with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in relation to organisations that make unsolicited marketing nuisance calls, so more effective enforcement action can be taken. We are also considering the scope to lower the legal threshold that needs to be met before the ICO can issue a monetary penalty. Additionally, we are continuing to work with industry and regulators to ensure better enforcement to target those that break the rules and supporting efforts to enable calls to be traced where a caller conceals or withholds their number. The Department's further thinking on this issue will be set out in our action plan, which will be published shortly.

Internet: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with social media sites on protecting children online.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS Ministers and officials regularly discuss the issue of protecting children online with representatives from social media companies, including through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).
	It is the intention that Minsters will host a roundtable, early in the new year, with social media companies to examine whether more can be done to protect children using social media.

Newspaper Press: Regulation

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) legislative and (b) administrative changes are required for the Public Appointments Commissioner to undertake the task of appointing a recognition panel for the purposes of newspaper regulation; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: A new Public Appointments Order in Council 2013 was approved by the Privy Council in April 2013, setting out a process, and is publically available. The CPA of course acts independently of Government.

UK City of Culture: Kingston upon Hull

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the benefits to Hull of its designation as the 2017 UK City of Culture.

Edward Vaizey: The UK City of Culture designation will help to promote new investment in Hull's infrastructure, businesses and cultural attractions. It will result in significant media coverage for Hull and will help to boost tourism and visitor numbers.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Women Bishops

Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she has taken to support the Church of England's General Synod in their discussions on women bishops.

Maria Miller: Decisions about the Church of England's internal structure and organisation are, rightly, matters for the Church itself rather than for Government. I would, however, like to put on record my strong personal support for the Synod in the progress that it has made this year towards enabling women to become bishops. The Synod hopes that the legislative process to enable their appointment will be completed by the end of 2014.

Pupils: Bullying

Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent steps she has taken to reduce homophobic bullying in schools.

Jo Swinson: Homophobic bullying is completely unacceptable and must be addressed. I recently announced a new project on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. The current phase of this work is a review of evidence and existing practices to help us fully understand the issues. This will inform the next phase of work which will focus on the development of effective, evidence-based tools and best practice that will help schools and others to stamp out this harmful behaviour.
	This new project builds on action the Government has already taken to tackle bullying in schools including publishing updated advice and guidance for schools and governing bodies; giving schools greater legal powers to tackle bad behaviour and cyber-bullying; and reforming the inspection regime to clearly hold schools to account for how they deal with behaviour and bullying.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Belarus

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on aid donations to Belarus.

Justine Greening: Under the previous Multi-annual Financial Framework (2007 to 2013) negotiated when the hon. Member was Minister for Europe, EU aid investments funded projects in Belarus, regardless of progress on reform. This Government has ensured that under the next MFF (2014 to 2020), where reforms on democracy and human rights have not taken place, funding to Governments can be reduced or withdrawn.
	The UK provides indirect support to Belarus through the EU's European Neighbourhood Programme (ENP), the policy for which is determined and assessed by the FCO. The British embassy in Minsk works closely with the EU delegation and embassies of other EU member states present in Belarus. This includes discussions on aid.

Philippines

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what non-governmental organisations have been allocated official funds for the relief effort in the Philippines; and how much has been (a) allocated to them and (b) received by those organisations.

Justine Greening: The following non-governmental organisations have been provided with funds to meet urgent humanitarian needs after the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines:
	
		
			  Disbursed (£ million) 
			 Plan International led consortium with Oxfam and CAFOD 2.0 
			 HelpAge International 0.5 
			 International Health Partners 0.3 
			 Christian Aid led consortium with World Vision, Habitat for Humanity and MapAction 1.7 
			 Save the Children 1.2 
			 Care led consortium with Action Against Hunger, Merlin and Save the Children 2.0 
			 Handicap International 0.3 
		
	
	£5 million has been allocated in matched funding to the Disasters Emergency Committee. They will disburse these funds to their member agencies.
	Following recent appeals £40,000 has been allocated to ACTED and £500,000 to Save the Children which will be transferred within the next week.

Philippines

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) France, (b) Italy, (c) Russia and (d) Brazil about those countries' donations to the UN Flash Appeal for aid to the Philippines.

Justine Greening: Along with officials, I have regular conversations with counterparts about the UN Appeals for the Philippines.

Philippines

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on aid donations to the Philippines disaster relief effort.

Justine Greening: I recently discussed the Philippines disaster response with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
	Officials from my Department discussed the Philippines response with the European Commission (EC) at the most recent EC Committee on Humanitarian and Food Aid (COHAFA).

EDUCATION

Basic Skills

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of literacy and numeracy in (a) primary school leavers and (b) secondary school leavers in (i) Corby constituency, (ii) the East Midlands, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The requested information has been provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Primary school leavers: Achievements at the expected level1 by pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in Corby constituency2, East Midlands3, East of England3 and England4, Years: 2008-125, Coverage: England6 
			 Percentage of KS2 pupils achieving expected level in  2008 2009 2010 2011 20127 
			 English Corby constituency 79 82 8— 78 85 
			  East Midlands 81 80 80 81 85 
		
	
	
		
			  East of England 81 80 79 80 85 
			  England 81 80 81 82 86 
			        
			 Maths Corby constituency 76 78 8— 76 82 
			  East Midlands 79 79 80 81 84 
			  East of England 78 78 79 79 83 
			  England 79 79 80 81 84 
			 1 Includes pupils who achieved Level 4 or above. Level 4 is the expected level of achievement for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. 2 Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. 3 Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school. 4 England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. 5 Data is final data for all years. 6 Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. 7 In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. English in 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. 8 Figures have been suppressed as they are unrepresentative due to industrial action. In 2010, 4,005 maintained schools that were expected to participate in the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests did not. This represents approximately 26% of the 15,518 maintained schools who were expected to administer the tests. The Department’s Head of Profession for Statistics determined that a sufficient volume of results was available to give a representative estimate of achievement nationally, but advised that caution needed to be exercised in over-interpreting small changes between years and between groups. Some local figures (including Corby constituency) where results were not representative have subsequently been suppressed. Source: National Pupil Database. 
		
	
	
		
			 Secondary school leavers: Percentages of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieving A*-C grades in English and mathematics GCSEs1 in Corby constituency2, East Midlands3, East of England3 and England4, Years: 2007/08 to 2011/125, Coverage: England6 
			 Percentage of KS4 pupils achieving an A*-C grade in  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 English Corby constituency 62.0 63.6 65.7 70.2 64.1 
			  East Midlands 59.8 61.4 65.3 68.5 66.5 
			  East of England 61.5 62.7 67.0 69.6 66.0 
			  England 60.1 62.1 66.5 69.4 67.1 
			 Maths Corby constituency 52.0 55.4 58.8 59.8 66.2 
			  East Midlands 54.7 57.8 61.1 64.3 67.8 
			  East of England 58.9 60.6 63.9 66.8 69.7 
			  England 56.3 58.8 62.6 65.3 69.5 
			 1 Full GCSEs only have been included (full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs and AS levels). Figures from 2007/08 to 2008/09 exclude iGCSEs. 2009/10 figures onwards include accredited iGCSEs. 2 Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. 3 Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school. 4 England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. 5 Data is final data for all years. 6 Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. Source: National Pupil Database.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people applied to the early years apprenticeship bursary scheme between 5 September and 22 November 2013; how many people have applied to that scheme since 23 November 2013; how many childcare settings the National College of Teaching and Leadership has identified which are willing to take on an apprentice; and what funding has been committed to that scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: The early years apprenticeship bursary scheme was officially launched on 9 September 2013. The scheme runs from September 2013 to August 2014, or until all available bursaries have been awarded. £2.3 million has been committed to the scheme. Application figures will be published at the end of the scheme.

Children: Obesity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidelines have been issued to schools for tackling childhood obesity.

Elizabeth Truss: Through physical education, competitive school sport and encouraging healthy eating, this Government recognises that schools can help address the problem of childhood obesity. Public Health England (PHE) produces annual guidance to schools in England to support local delivery of the National Child Measurement Programme. A refreshed version of the guidance for the 2013/14 school year was published by PHE on 4 December and is available on the gov.uk website:
	www.gov.uk

Children: Protection

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of multi-agency safeguarding hubs operating in England;
	(2)  which local authorities have adopted multi-agency safeguarding hubs.

Edward Timpson: The Government does not collect data on the models used in local areas to share information about safeguarding. However, the Home Office is undertaking a project to improve national and local understanding of the different local multi-agency models in place, and as part of this they surveyed all local authorities. Responses were received from 63 of 152 local authority areas. Of these 64% of authorities said they had some kind of multi-agency model in operation. The Multi-Agency Working and Information Sharing Project—Early Findings report, published in July 2013, gives examples of areas that use Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs and other multi-agency models. The document can be accessed online1.
	1Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225012/MASH_Product.pdf
	Central Government does not prescribe which model local areas should use to share information, as this is a matter for local determination.

Children: Protection

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of public sector spending cuts on child protection services.

Edward Timpson: Local authority funding for safeguarding children and young people is included within core funding for children's social care which comes from the Department for Community and Local Government's Formula Grant and local taxation. Funding is not ring-fenced and it is for local authorities to decide how to apply their funding across the services they deliver.
	A report from the Audit Commission1 published in November 2013 found that children's social care has been largely protected from spending reductions from 2010-11 to 2013-14. Council spending on children's social care on average increased by 1.2% in real terms since 2010-11.
	1Note:
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Tough-Times-2013-Councils-Responses-to-Financial-Challenges-w1.pdf
	Work is currently under way, commissioned by HM Treasury, on a joint project between the Department for Education and Department for Communities and Local Government looking at spend on and outcomes for children's services. The project seeks to develop proposals to increase the efficiency of children's services.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's consultation on keeping children safe in education guidance, what role he envisages local authorities having in monitoring, supporting and challenging child safeguarding practice in schools;
	(2)  when he plans to publish his Department's response to its consultation on keeping children safe in education; and when he plans to bring forward proposals arising from that consultation.

Edward Timpson: There is no change to the responsibilities of local authorities in this regard. They will continue to ensure that maintained schools are aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding children: monitoring their performance; making available appropriate training, model policies and procedures; providing advice and support; and facilitating links and cooperation with other agencies.
	We recognise the importance of the guidance on keeping children safe in education and have been giving careful consideration to the detailed comments received through consultation on the draft. We expect to publish both the consultation report and revised guidance early in 2014.

Foster Care: Higher Education

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what support his Department offers to children in foster care seeking to take a university degree;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of children in foster care (a) begin and (b) finish a university degree or equivalent qualification.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after wherever they are placed. There remains a significant gap in educational outcomes of looked after children and care leavers compared to their peers. A big priority for the Government is therefore to ensure that looked after children and care leavers receive the support they need. Looked after children have top priority in school admission arrangements so that they have the chance to go to schools that best meet their needs and encourage them to reach their full potential. From April 2014, the pupil premium for looked after children will include a pupil premium plus which means it will more than double from £900 to £1,900. In addition:
	1. Looked after children and care leavers are eligible for a 16-19 bursary worth £1,200 each year if they continue in full-time education;
	2. Care leavers receive a setting up home allowance on leaving care;
	3. Care leavers pursuing a recognised course of higher education receive a £2,000 higher education bursary;
	4. Looked after children and care leavers receive consistent personal support from a suitably qualified personal adviser up to age 21 or beyond if in education (this includes providing access to careers advice).
	We have also made it easier for care leavers to return to education up to age 25, by requiring local authorities to support them with a personal adviser and a pathway plan while they are on their agreed course.
	Information on the numbers and proportion of children in foster care who begin and finish a university degree or an equivalent qualification is not collected by the Department. Information is published on young people aged 19, who were looked after when aged 16, who are in higher education. This is published as part of the Statistical First Release, “Children looked after in England, including adoption”, which was published on 26 September (Table F1). Following is an extract from this table showing data for 2013. The full publication can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption
	
		
			 Children now aged 19 years old who were looked after when aged 16 years by activity1,2,3, Years ending 31 March 2013, Coverage: England 
			  Number of children now aged 19 years old who were looked when aged 16 years old3 Percentage of children now aged 19 years old who were looked after when aged 16 years old4 
			 Activity 6,930 100 
			 In higher education, i.e. studies beyond A level 400 6 
			 Full time 360 5 
			 Part time 30 — 
			    
			 In education other than higher education 2,030 29 
			 Full time 1,770 26 
			 Part time 260 4 
			    
			 In training or employment 1,630 23 
			 Full time 1,050 15 
			 Part time 580 8 
			    
			 Not in education, training or employment owing to illness or disability 340 5 
			 Not in education, training or employment owing to other reasons 2,020 29 
			 Not in touch 520 8 
			 1 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 2 Figures exclude children who were looked after on 1 April aged 16 (in their 17th year) under an agreed series of short-term placements. 3 Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. 4 Children now aged 19 years old who were looked after on 1 April 2010 then aged 16 years old (in their 17th year). Source: SSDA 903

Internet: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued to school teachers to assist them when dealing with cyber bullying.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has produced advice to help schools prevent and tackle all forms of bullying, including cyber bullying. The advice includes a definition of bullying, provides information about cyber bullying, and signposts schools to expert organisations that can give specific advice.
	The Department is providing £4 million of funding over two years to four anti-bullying organisations: BeatBullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau (NCB) consortium. These organisations are developing measures to prevent and deal with the impact of all forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, by working with schools, pupils and teachers. BeatBullying and the Diana Award train young people to support victims of bullying, and they provide information packs for school teachers to support the anti-bullying work of their pupils. Kidscape trains professionals to teach about bullying prevention to primary school pupils. The NCB are developing a resource pack and training for teachers to support them in tackling the bullying of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
	In addition, the leadership curriculum, launched in September 2012 and developed by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, contains leadership development material on prevention strategies for bullying, which includes cyber bullying.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many children took part in the early education pilot for disadvantaged two-year-old children before September 2013; and how many of the two-year-olds taking up the free early education offer from September 2013 (a) were new to the scheme and (b) took part in that pilot;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of two-year-olds accessing (a) 15, (b) fewer than 10 and (c) fewer than five hours of free early education.

Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities have been under a statutory duty to secure a place for any eligible two-year-old since 1 September 2013. By October 2013, local authorities estimated that around 92,000 two-year-olds were already accessing a place. Formal data on the number of two-year-olds in funded places will be collected through the Early Years and Schools Censuses, which will take place in January 2014 and will be published in summer 2014. This will include information on the number of two-year-olds accessing free early education places, as well as information on the amount of hours of funded early education received.
	The Government laid the regulations that would give effect to the new entitlement on 4 October 2012, nearly a year ahead of implementation, to maximise the time that local authorities had to plan. The regulations set out which children would be eligible for funded places when the new entitlement came into force, and many local authorities chose to adopt the national eligibility criteria early. However, prior to September 2013, places were delivered by local authorities on a discretionary basis, and could, therefore, be allocated in accordance with locally determined criteria. The Department for Education did not collect information on the children to whom local authorities provided places.
	Under the pilots that were established in local authorities from 2006, around 20,000 children benefited nationally. Funding for two-year-old places increased in 2012-13 and again in 2013-14 to enable local authorities to begin to build towards the entitlement. By April 2013, local authorities estimated that the number of children in places had increased to just over 50,000.
	Many of the children who benefited from places in the past year will now have turned three and will now be eligible for the universal entitlement for three-year-olds.

Priority School Building Programme

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been allocated to each English local authority for under three provisions for buildings funded by the Priority School Building Programme.

David Laws: We have allocated £100 million to local authorities for the purpose of providing under three places, and Redcar and Cleveland local authority received £272,216. As is usual with capital allocations delegated to local authorities, this funding was not ring-fenced, in order to allow appropriate local determination of priorities. We have, therefore, not collected data about how local authorities have decided to spend their allocations.
	The Priority Schools Building Programme (PSPB) and funding for under three places are distinct programmes serving different objectives. However, there is no reason why a local authority cannot fund the under three element in a school being rebuilt using PSBP funds.

Schools: Finance

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the national funding formula will reflect local authorities' decisions on funding of pupils for whom English is an additional language; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed in June, we will shortly be consulting on proposals for how best to introduce a new national fair funding formula. The consultation document will include proposals for the funding of pupils for whom English is an additional language.

Shannon Matthews

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 449-50W, on Shannon Matthews, if he will publish the consent order of the High Court dated 19 June 2013 and the explanation of how his decision was arrived at.

Edward Timpson: The Consent Order of the High Court is a matter of public record and subject to the court's rules of access. My hon. Friend may apply to the High Court for a copy.

Teachers: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the provisional allocation of initial teacher training places for Corby constituency is.

David Laws: Corby constituency contains two lead schools with allocations of 29 School Direct initial teacher training (ITT) places for 2014/15. The National College for Teaching and Leadership only hold information on lead schools, which represent wider partnerships of schools, therefore there will be other schools involved in ITT in Corby constituency.
	There are no accredited ITT providers located in Corby constituency.

Young People: Abuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what support he is giving to the Home Department's This is Abuse campaign;
	(2)  if he will write to all secondary school headteachers directly to inform them of the Home Department's This is Abuse campaign; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all secondary age children are aware of the campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education fully supports the Home Office's ‘This is Abuse’ campaign and has promoted information about it by re-tweeting the campaign links to our 95,000 followers on Twitter and adding the link to our Facebook page (15,250 followers).
	We have also added details about the campaign in the resources for teachers section on our dedicated Times Educational Supplement page1.
	The Department's Sex and Relationships Education guidance advises schools to draw on the up-to-date advice produced by experts including the Personal, Social Health and Economic (PSHE) Association. We provide grant funding of £100,000 to the PSHE Association to help schools develop curricula, improve staff training, and promote the teaching of consent. The PSHE Association contributed to the development of the discussion guide supporting the campaign and circulated information on the campaign to its list of over 6,500 PSHE professionals.
	We have also provided information on the campaign to headteacher and teacher unions. Along with ministerial colleagues from the Home Office and the Department for International Development and the Minister for Schools, I will be meeting these union representatives to discuss how best to get information and resources about safeguarding issues like this to the right people.
	1 http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/This-is-Abuse-Discussion -Guide-6379575/